


He Came From the Forest (As Strange Things Will)

by Dangerously_Demonic



Category: Original Work
Genre: Awkward First Times, Bar Room Brawl, Dark Magic, Dragon!Murder, Fantasy, Feral Behavior, Ghosts, I'm Bad At Tagging, Magic, Magical Creatures, Morally Ambiguous Character, Multi, Shapeshifting, Xenophobia, dragon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-09-28 22:45:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 38,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17191688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dangerously_Demonic/pseuds/Dangerously_Demonic
Summary: After being left on a doorstep by his birth mother, Joseph is adopted by a childless couple and raised as their own. In a world of magic, however, random babies who mysteriously appear are rarely human and he's no exception. Raised by his father who sought to teach him right from wrong, Joseph becomes a young man, ready to explore the world. However, after war breaks out and everything he's known vanishes in one fell swoop, he's left with nothing. Knowing only a bit of his heritage, Joseph sets out on his own..Not only to find his place in the world, but to discover more about who his birth parents might have been.Alternative summary: Demonic takes a break from fandom stuff, turns Murder into a dragon, and shenanigans happen. Now with 100% more "Bitch, I eat people".





	1. As Strange Things Will

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FeralCreed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeralCreed/gifts).



“Stefan!”

Grumpily, Stefan looked up from his morning cup of tea. “What!”

Morgan, his wife, simply called for him again from the front door. Finally, he pushed himself to his feet and went to see what she wanted. Sitting on their doorstep sat a woven wicker basket. Wrapped in soft cloth and with a few handmade toys tucked next to it, laid a sleeping baby. Stefan stared out at the woods that surrounded their small cabin, as if he could spot whoever had left the child. Immediately, he felt on edge and grabbed Morgan’s arm when she reached for the infant. “Don’t.”

“What? Why?” She looked at him, surprised.

“Could be a trick by the Fae.” While he didn’t follow a particular faith or deity, Stefan followed the ways of the forest. When he hunted, he thanked the animal for giving its life to sustain him before he butchered it. He thanked the earth for its bounty when he foraged in the forest. When he fished, he thanked the river for allowing him to partake in its riches. All and all, he considered his life to be blessed…But an infant randomly showing up on his doorstep? This worried him.

“It could also be a blessing. You know we’ve been trying for years to have a child.” Morgan gestured to the infant who’d started to stir. “I know Fae will steal babies and leave changlings in their place, but we have no child to be stolen. If I raise a Fae child, then so be it…But I can’t, in good conscience, turn my back on this one. Besides, the toys…Stefan, I don’t think the mother did this willingly.”

Stefan sighed and crouched down to better examine the infant. It yawned and squirmed the best it could before opening its eyes. Briefly, the morning light caused it to squint, but once Stefan moved to block the light, it fully opened its eyes. The blue eyes that all babies had at birth had already started to turn muddy. However, the pupils slitted much like a cat’s eyes. It blinked a few more times before finally focusing on his face. A moment later, it gave a toothless grin. “It’s definitely not human.”

After a moment of consideration, Morgan snatched up the basket and stomped into the house, ignoring her husband’s sound of protest. “Oh, don’t give me that. You worry about it being a trick by the Fae. Have you considered that by _ignoring_ the child we could anger something?”

“Woman, you better not have cursed us both!”

Morgan just shook her head. “We have nothing to feed…” She paused to take a peek under the cloth. “…Him with. Go warm a pot of goat milk, it’ll have to do till we can get to town and see if there’s any wet nurses.”

He merely grumbled to himself and snatched up his cold tea to finish drinking it while he worked on heating the milk. However, the soft noise his wife made caught his attention. “What is it?”

She cradled the baby in one arm and held up a note with her other hand. “Here.”

After taking it, he unfolded it and frowned at the brief message that’d been hastily scrawled out on the paper. “Take care of him, I have no choice. He has no name, so do what you will.”

She looked over at her husband and shared his frown. “I wonder what happened.”

“I don’t know, but it looks like you have the baby you always wanted.” Stefan commented, quietly, as he watched the infant grab at Morgan’s hair. He could only hope the boy would end up looking similar to the both of them.

Unfortunately, that didn’t end up being the case. Joseph, as they’d named him, ended up with dark hair…A start contrast to Morgan’s blonde hair and Stefan’s red hair. Still, the two of them made it work. Morgan claimed her brother’s wife had passed in childbirth, and her brother couldn’t bear the idea of raising a son alone. So, her and Stefan had adopted the boy. It satisfied the local in the nearby town and netted them some extra supplies in the form of gifts.

Still, the two would talk, late at night, about their child and his unknown origins. Both of them were aware of the standard child development path: when a child should crawl, walk, talk, and all that. Joseph always ended up leagues ahead. Despite that, there were still deviations. Rather than learning to talk, he first learned to mimic words and alter the pitch of his voice to better mimic the person he’d learned the word from. Naturally, the first word he ‘learned’ happened to be a curse word after Stefan had cut himself while cooking.

Joseph happily spammed the word for the next two days until he found some other word to mimic.

When he finally became steady enough to be allowed to toddle around outside, Morgan quickly discovered that she had to watch him closely. Initially, she assumed him to be curious about the chickens when he slowly followed after one that had wandered away from the flock. She soon changed her mind when he tried to pounce onto the hen. Luckily, the bird hadn’t been injured, simply traumatized. She scolded Joseph, swatted him on the rump, and shooed him back inside.

Once more, Morgan and Stefan discussed their son once he’d gone to bed. “I’m not really sure what to do about him, Stefan. I think that it’s going to get worse as he gets older.”

“We don’t know what he is. For all we know, this is normal. We…Just need to teach him when it’s appropriate and when it isn’t. You remember my father’s old hunting dog?” When Morgan nodded, he continued. “The hound was bred for hunting. If he would have been used for anything else, he wouldn’t have been happy. I think if we raise him as human, he won’t be happy. He acts the way he does for a reason. He’s no different than a magically inclined child.”

Morgan gently rubbed her thumb over her wedding ring. “So, we encourage him, but teach him when it’s alright to act that way?”

“That’s the best I can come up with. He’s already taken everything we know about children and thrown it out the window.” Stefan suddenly laughed. “Though, if he’s that keen to stalk things, maybe I won’t have to go hunting when he gets older. Gods know I won’t be young forever.”

As Joseph grew older, his belligerent personality became obvious. While very curious and eager to learn, there remained a sharp caveat: he only wanted to learn what _he_ personally found interesting. However, Morgan quickly discovered that if she explained why something would be useful to learn, he became more agreeable to the idea. Still, he vastly preferred to be out in the woods roaming and practicing his archery skills.

While not against the idea, both of his parents worried because of his small size. Despite the forest being relatively safe, the occasional dangerous predator wandered down from the mountains. Still, Joseph’s hunts put plenty of meat on the table due to the rabbits he frequently caught.

More inhuman traits had begun to surface, as well. Keen senses and endurance to rival even the most seasoned hunter being the primary ones. Still, despite all of his positive traits, the negative ones began to appear. He could be a hellion at times with a short temper and a tendency to argue. Stefan found it nearly impossible to dissuade the boy from doing something once he’d made up his mind. Then, the worst one of them all: he stressed easily.

None of them knew Joseph’s heritage, least of all the boy in question. He couldn’t really put into words his wants and needs. Just that he became frustrated and anxious if he couldn’t do something. It meant pacing the cabin and tugging at his hair till someone managed to get his attention to latch onto something more constructive. Stefan soon figured out that the best way to calm his son was to open the door and boot him outside.

He came from the forest, as strange things did, and it made sense that being in the forest would calm him.

Joseph remained small, lanky, and a slow grower even by human standards. It made Stefan wonder if the boy didn’t have some sort of Fae blood in him. Sure, it explained some of his strange quirks, but not all of them. It didn’t explain the occasional soft growls he made or the intense, predatory stare he had when he hunted. Most of all, it didn’t explain his inclination towards raw meat…Something both Stefan and Morgan heavily discouraged.

Shortly after Joseph’s twelfth birthday, Morgan passed away. She’d been tending to their garden when a venomous snake, driven up from the river by the heavy rains, bit her. Stefan took it hard, but not nearly as hard as his son. The inhuman keens of grief the boy made not only broke his heart, but also reminded him of how far from being human the child happened to be.

He ended up burying Morgan by himself. Joseph took off the night of her death, presumably to the forest. Stefan hadn’t heard the boy leave, but that didn’t mean anything. He’d seen his son run through the forest without making a sound. Still, by the second day he began worrying. On the third day, he gathered his things and went searching for Joseph. The forests stretched for miles and if the boy had gotten hurt? He might never find him.

After searching for half a day, Stefan stumbled across torn and shredded clothes. Ones he recognized as what his son would wear. The dirt had been disturbed as if a struggle had taken place and he made out claw marks. Just from the claw marks alone, he figured the beast large enough to eat Joseph…Yet he neither found blood or remains. Still, his stomach twisted in fear at what he might find.

As twilight slowly settled across the land, he returned home empty handed. Yet when he crested the hill the cabin sat on, he froze. Sitting on the front step, eating a bowl of yesterday’s stew, sat Joseph. Perfectly unharmed, dressed, and yet…Something felt different about the boy. His shoulder length hair had tangles and bits of leaves in it, but his green eyes held a wildness in them…As if something had finally awoken within him.  Frankly, Stefan didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was Joseph being safe.

Sighing, he sat down next to Joseph and dragged him into an one armed hug before kissing the top of his head. “Don’t do that, again. You scared me.”

“I just…Had to.” Joseph hunched up slightly, unsure of he’d be in trouble or not.

“I know. I just found some of your clothes and I worried some beast had eaten you.” He gave a faint, fond smile and gently nudged Joseph in the side. “You’re twelve and still very bite sized.”

“Who were my parents? My real parents.” At his father’s expression Joseph sighed. “I’m not dumb. I know I don’t look like you or…Mother. And you’ve always told the people in town that my Uncle’s wife died…And there’s all the weird thi—”

Stefan touched the boy’s shoulder. “It’s not weird. That’s simply you. Your mother and I…We never really knew how to tell you because we knew it’d spawn questions we didn’t have the answers to. The truth is, I don’t know. We found you in a basket on our doorstep with a note that said to take care of you. We hadn’t been able to have a child of our own, so we adopted you. I’ve always had a healthy respect for the forest and so as far as I’m concerned? You came from the forest.”

“So…You don’t know what I am?”

“I don’t. I knew from the day you arrived that you weren’t human, but I raised you as my own, regardless.” He snorted. “The townsfolk are convinced you have Fae blood in you, because of your eyes and small size. I honestly wouldn’t worry about it. You are what you are and nothing can change it. I just hope you continue coming to me with any problems you have.”

Joseph simply nodded and turned his attention back to his food, only to look up again when his Father nudged his side again.

“Mind telling me what happened with your clothes?”

He hesitated, not entirely sure if he should bring it up. Finally, he shrugged slightly. “I was running and caught my shirt on a limb.”

Stefan felt that he hadn’t been told the truth, but Joseph also rarely lied. Either way, he chose to accept the answer in hopes that he’d be told the truth later. “Alright. Well. Finish eating and get yourself cleaned up. You look like a mess.”

Life continued on, just without Morgan. He taught his son the ways of the forest and helped him as he could. Still, he began noticing further oddities. Odd tracks in the forest, for one. Some creature with four fingers and a thumb for the front feet and two toed back feet. He knew it had claws, so likely some sort of predator. Stefan warned Joseph of it, who promised to be careful. Regardless, the beast had gotten his curiosity and he followed the trails.

Every now and then, he’d catch sight of it…Just brief little snippets before it caught wind of him and spooked. He surmised that the thing stood about four foot at the shoulder. Not as large as a bear, but still likely dangerous. The thing tended to blend in, too. Dark brown with lighter brown mottles. He kept seeing it over the years, and watched its coloration slowly change; the light brown mottles steadily faded…And it _grew_. Much like how Joseph had begun to grow like a weed, so too did the beast. This made him question many things, specifically how he _never_ saw the creature when his son hunted with him. He only saw it when the boy took off for days at a time.

He finally got a good look at the thing, one day, while it got a drink. Of all things to be skulking around in the forest, he did not expect to see a dragon. A young one, especially. He didn’t know much about them, beyond just legends. This one certainly wasn’t the fearsome, firebreathing, man eater of lore. If anything, it looked like a leggy, gangly colt who didn’t quite know where its limbs all went. It reminded him of Joseph who’d hit another growth spurt. The boy had just turned fifteen and had nearly reached his height…Not to mention had developed a voracious appetite.

Quietly, he watched the dragon as it moved around in the shallows of the river. He’d never gotten a straight answer from Joseph about what’d happened when he left for those three days and he often felt his son had kept something from him. Between that and not knowing the boy’s heritage, it made him wonder if the dragon and Joseph were connected somehow.

He remained hidden in the undergrowth and didn’t dare make a sound as the creature slowly wandered towards his hiding spot. Then, it looked in his general direction and his heart skipped a beat. He knew those eyes; he saw them every morning, usually paired with a devil may care grin. The dragon suddenly snorted loudly, the sound almost mingled with a rasp. Then, just like that, the beast spooked and ran, nearly tangling its legs in the process.

It didn’t surprise him in the least bit to find Joseph back at the cabin after being gone for several days. As he passed him on the front step, Stefan tousled his son’s hair and laughed at the indignant noise he received. “You should shave. It looks like you tried to glue random bits of fur to your face and it half fell off.”

“Next time I’m in the forest I’ll try to find the mirror tree.” Joseph snarked as he got up to his feet and followed his Father inside. “I added the rabbit I caught to the stew when I got back.”

Stefan nodded and checked the pot hanging over the fire. “Looks good. Ah…Joseph…I saw you down by the river today.”

“I wasn’t by the river.”

He didn’t miss the subtle shift in the boy’s demeanor to something almost defensive. “You sure?”

“I’m positive.”

“Joseph…Are you sure? I’m _very_ certain I saw you.” Stefan purposely stayed vague about things. If Joseph continued to deny it, then he could play it off as some water spirit playing a trick on him. Still, with how defensive his son had continued to get?

Finally, Joseph gave the older man a tight-lipped glare but didn’t say anything further.

“You know you can tell me anything. I didn’t mean to startle you, if that _was_ you.”

He sat down at the table and stared at the pitted surface instead of looking at his Father. “It was me…And you didn’t startle me. I just…You were downwind and it was only when I got close that I realized you were there and…And I didn’t want you to shoot me. Because I _know_ that’s why you’ve been hunting lately.”

Stefan replaced the lid on the pot and sat down at the table as well. “So, you can…Somehow change into a dragon?” At the wordless nod he received, he sighed quietly. “How long have you been able to do it?”

“Since after Mother died.”

“I wish you would have told me sooner, but…I suppose it’d be scary. Is that what you’re doing when you take off for a few days?” He leaned forward to squeeze Joseph’s forearm, reassuringly.

“Yes. I was just…Scared you’d think I was some sort of monster. You and Mother always seemed almost fed up sometimes at some of the things I did.”

“Joseph, no. No. You’re my son. We were exasperated at times, yes, but never fed up. Honestly, most of it stemmed from us not really knowing what to do. You were the furthest thing from a normal child and we essentially had to figure things out as we went. If anything, we were scared that we wouldn’t be able to provide for you properly.” Quietly, Stefan laughed. “When you were three or four, you stalked one of Morgan’s hens and pounced onto it like you were a cat. I told her that if you were that good at hunting, that you could take over hunting for meat when you got old enough.”

“I think I’m pretty good at hunting.” Joseph finally offered a slight smile.

“Good. You can take it over, then. Gods know you eat enough for three people.” He pushed himself back up to his feet in order to being filling up bowls with the stew. “To be honest, I wasn’t going to shoot you. I’ve suspected you were the dragon for the past two or so years, but I didn’t have much proof. Besides, you never tried to attack me an always ran, so I didn’t have any reason. If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a better look at you in the morning.”

Joseph pulled his bowl closer to himself after it’d be set down. “I…Uh. I have to change when I’m naked. I tried it with clothes on, once, after the first time. Because you know in the books and stuff they always can…Well…”

“Didn’t work out very well?”

“It was my favorite pair of pants, too.” He stirred the stew after adding a bit more salt to it. “But I can show you.”

The next morning, after breakfast, Stefan patiently waited with his back to Joseph. He didn’t quite know what to expect, but it’d been anything but the stomach-churning sound of bones snapping and grinding. Then, the sudden blast of hot air on his neck caused him to flinch. When he finally turned around, he had to look up slightly to look Joseph in the eyes. After a moment longer, he took a step back to better look over his son.

Honestly, he had no idea how he had thought the dragon to be anything but Joseph. Everything about how he moved said ‘Joseph’, even down to the slight shifting of weight from foot to foot…Something his son had often done when anxious about something. Overall, he didn’t seem _that_ scary, although the raised sickle claw on the inner toes of his back feet caused some concern. Hesitantly, he touched Joseph’s side and traced over what seemed to be the start of a dark green stripe. “I wonder if you’ll grow into your legs.”

He stepped back and faintly smiled. “Well, I think you can handle the hunting needs. Just as well. I think I’m too old for that, now. Just don’t let yourself be seen by anyone, Joseph. I don’t want to lose you…Because they’ll hunt you.”

The nod he received felt almost comical, but he couldn’t help but grin as Joseph turned and trotted away, his tail swishing from side to side. While they didn’t know his true heritage, at least they had an idea…But did it really matter? He didn’t care and neither did Joseph, it seemed. After watching his son disappear into the forest, Stefan made his way to the garden to begin gathering tomatoes.

A year later saw Joseph still growing. By this point, he’d grown taller than Stefan and with no sign of stopping. He’d also started to lose the lanky build, shifting towards something much more solid…A trait his other form mimicked, just in a delayed fashion. He’d also gotten what Stefan assumed to be part of his adult coloration: green stripes from his neck down to his hips. Stefan often joked that Joseph would be irresistible to the ladies of his race once he finished growing.

At this point, he’d gotten used to his son’s random quirks, including his irritability in the fall and subsequent disappearance for a solid week. Stefan had his suspicions on what it might be, if the behavior of the deer bucks were any indication, but chose not to bring it up. He felt that if he did, Joseph would probably be mortified, then curl up into a ball of embarrassment, and promptly pop out of existence. Dramatic, but with how his son tended to be open with everything else, he let the boy have that particular secret.

At eighteen, Joseph finally seemed to have stopped growing. He towered over Stefan by several inches, but considering the sheer size of his other form? It really made sense. Despite know the dragon to be his son, he couldn’t help but feel a brief stab of primal feel. Should he truly desire, Joseph had grown large enough in that form to eat a man whole…Or damn near it. As it stood, Stefan could no longer see over his son’s shoulder, and he knew himself to be about six foot. He frequently teased the boy about getting a harness for his dragon form to aid in pulling logs out of the woods. Joseph never found the joke to be funny.

Still, as every parent knew, Stefan figured that Joseph would want to leave at some point. The boy had always been one to wander and explore. As of late, his wanderings had gone from being a day or two to a week or more. Certainly, he’d always wake up one morning and find Joseph sleeping in his bedroom, but he worried that one day his son wouldn’t come back.

“Joseph, I want to talk to you for a moment.” Stefan wanted to grab the boy’s ear and talk to him before he ducked out of the cabin again. He ignored the eyeroll and noise of exasperation when Joseph all but flopped down into the chair. While he had always been quite independent, the belligerent streak had only gotten worse as he got older, much to Stefan’s frustration. Morgan and him had always tried to teach Joseph to be respectful and polite. Apparently, the lessons had never taken root which had resulted in a stubborn, sometimes short tempered, belligerent, and somewhat pushy young man…Who absolutely had no filter when it came to speaking.

“Don’t give me attitude.” He sat down across from Joseph. “I’ve noticed that you’re spending more and more time away from home. Has someone caught your eye or is there another reason?”

Quietly, Joseph sighed and looked down at his hands. “I enjoy it here, but…I want to see the world. I want to explore and see new things. I just feel…Restless, I guess.”

“I figured as much. You’ve always loved exploring, even as a child and would throw a fit if we tried to stop you. I know you can take care of yourself, and frankly, don’t know a soul alive who’d want to tangle with you…But I can’t stomach the idea of sending you out into the world with supplies.” At Joseph’s surprised and frankly confused expression, Stefan smiled. “I always figured that one day you’d leave. Tomorrow, we’ll go to Murval and buy supplies. I’ve been saving up some money for a while.”

Joseph made a sight face. “Why do I have to go? You know they stare at me. Besides, aren’t you worried about the rumors of soldiers?”

“Well, you’ll have to get used to it if you plan on exploring the world. That’s not something that’ll stop. Besides, it’s only going to be for an hour or so and I’ll get you that jerky from Aubin’s that you like.” Then Stefan shrugged at the question of soldiers. “There’s no reason for them to come to Murval. The town has nothing to offer them.”

“Bribing me, Father?” He attempted a serious face, but the expression cracked into a grin. Frankly, he had no idea how Aubin cooked the jerky, but the stuff tended to be irresistible to him and a promise of getting some always ensured he’d behave…Most of the time. “Fine. But if anyone bothers me, I’m not going to be polite.”

Stefan snorted. “Your mother would skin me alive, but I honestly have a good laugh at the insults you come up with.”

“…I miss Mother.” Joseph looked back down at his hands and picked at something stuck under a nail.

“As do I. If I’m honest, I think she’d be proud of who you’ve grown into. She’s the one who talked me into keeping you since I was afraid you were some trick of the Fae. Gods, looking back, I was stupid to even think that.” He smiled, fondly. “Well. Enough idle chatter. I need your help moving the cured meat from the smokehouse.”


	2. Murval

_The elk ran in a blind panic at the monstrous beast that chased it, but he didn’t care and snapped his jaws at it in an attempt to run the animal harder. It felt good to stretch his legs, to simply run at full tilt…Just as he was meant to. His claws dug into the ground and kept him from slipping as he sucked in great lungfuls of air. The sea of golden grass barely reached his knees, and hid many potential pitfalls, but nothing would keep him from his quarry._

_The elk would tire soon, or it would trip over something. Regardless of what happened, he’d feast and he looked forward to the idea because not only did he hunger, but his hunger ran deep. It had transcended from a simple physical need into something more. Yet, he didn’t know what, exactly, he needed. The animal he chased, however, would be a good start._

_The elk bawled loudly as it suddenly stumbled, the sound oddly similar to that of a door squeaking open. The strangeness of this went unnoticed, his attention remained solely on his hunt and the kill that was but minutes away. He leapt for his fallen prey, intent on killing it before it clambered back to its feet and…_

Something harshly jabbed Joseph in the back and he jerked awake with a deep growl in the back of his throat that rumbled down into his chest. He pulled his lips back into a silent snarl then laid there to try and come back to himself. While he didn’t growl again, his breath came out as harsh huffs, as if he’d been running. Finally, he half rolled over and glared at his Father who held a broom in his hand. “What.”

Stefan simply gave his son an unimpressed look. “It’s time for breakfast. We leave for Murval once we finish.”

After his Father left, Joseph rolled onto his back and tossed an arm over his eyes, then sighed. The final bits of the dream had faded from his waking mind, leaving him yearning for something. He shifted his thoughts to the planned events of the day and made an annoyed rumbled under his breath.

Honestly, he hated the idea of going to Murval. He didn’t mind the trip, but he _did_ mind the townsfolk staring at him. While it’d be nice to blame it on his height, he knew they did it because of his eyes. They’d always stared at him, even as a child and made whispered guesses about his heritage: Fae, Wildling, Changing, Forest Child...A few of the more superstitious people would make gestures to ask for protection from whatever gods they worshiped. He found it all to be insulting.

Finally, he dragged himself out of bed and dressed. Then he grabbed his boots and followed his nose to the kitchen where breakfast sat on the table. “What all are you planning on getting?”

“Basic supplies, really. Wound balm, bandages, flint, that type of thing. We have plenty of food here, so I can send you off with dried meats.” Stefan sat down at the table and began eating. “Perhaps a new pair of boots if we can find a pair for a decent price.”

“What about you?” Joseph finally sat down. “You can’t really go hunting in the forest anymore because of your knees.”

“Ah, don’t worry about me. I can still fish and set snares. Besides, with it being just me, I won’t need as many hens and can butcher some of them come fall.”

He nodded and quietly ate his eggs before suddenly grinning. “I promise to wander back every so often. No wild parties while I’m gone, though.”

This caused Stefan to laugh. “Oh, damn it all. You caught me. I was going to let the chickens into the house and get drunk off my ass.”

“I’m being serious about wandering back. As much as I want to explore…This place is still my home.”

“I know and I’m glad you feel that way, Joseph.”

Once breakfast had been finished and the dishes put away, the two started out on their trek to Murval. After following an old game path, they stepped out onto one of the main dirt roads where they began walking west to the small town. Already, Joseph could make out the tall roof that belonged to the temple of some god he never bothered to learn the name of.

The weather teetered on the fine line between late spring and early summer, making it a good time to travel. Despite the good weather, they encountered very few travelers; he’d only counted four by the time they reached Murval. Stefan noted, after the third person, that some of the late spring crops were ready to be harvested and people were likely handling that.

Murval also seemed unusually quiet with very few people milling about at the market. Normally, the market square bustled with activity, and for the market to be so empty on such a nice day? Very strange. A subtle tension that hung in the air left Joseph feeling uneasy and he wondered if it happened to be related to the lack of townsfolk. “We should be quick about this.”

“Nonsense! With so few people around, we can take our time getting your supplies.” Stefan didn’t share his son’s concern and waved it away as the young man’s general dislike of the townsfolk. “I’ll get you extra jerky for the trouble.”

Joseph fell in step behind his Father and made a face as he silently mocked the older man’s words. Sighing, he rolled his eyes and shifted his attention to the few people in the market. Then his attention shifted to the conversation his Father and the owner of the stall, Janina, were having.

“I’m surprised you two are here, Stefan. Most people are wanting to stay away from Murval. Supposedly, someone saw troops from Triham headed towards the town. Rumor says they’re planning on taking the town.” Janina commented as she passed a small jar of salve to Stefan. Her attention shifted to the man’s son, who lurked behind him, when he looked towards her. She offered a polite nod, but didn’t say anything.

“I doubt it. Murval has nothing to offer. I suppose there’s resources because of the forests, but there’s plenty of towns with more importance. Salo has a port, for example.” Stefan examined the jar of salve. “Does this one have numbing herbs in it?”

“Yes, it does.” After being handed a coin, she took the jar back and began wrapping it. “Well, it’s just a rumor. Still, everyone’s worried about the war heading north to us.”

“Have they started enlisting people?” He took the wrapped jar back and tucked it into the satchel he’d brought with him. “Because that’d be a sure sign of it heading this way.”

“Not that I’m aware.”

“Then I doubt there’s anything to worry about.” Stefan began examining a few other jars of salve to see if anything else caught his attention. While he didn’t want his son to have to carry a heavy load, he also didn’t want him to be unprepared.

Joseph snorted loudly at the conversation. “Unless there’s no kingdom left to send enlistment orders.” He ignored how the two adults stared at him and his sudden words. “We all know we’re several days away on horseback from any major city, and the capitol is further south of us. If the capitol was taken…”

“Then we wouldn’t know about it till they marched past us on their way to Kovis.” Stefan commented, grimly, as he quickly picked up on Joseph’s line of thinking. “And Kovis has a lot more resources to offer than us with it being a major trade city. I still can’t see why they’d attack Murval, but you have a good point.”

Finally, he gave Janina a nod and shooed Joseph to the next stall where he began browsing the goods on display. He knew his son hated shopping and found it boring, but he had no desire to send the young man off without the proper supplies. Besides, he felt certain that Morgan would slap him from beyond the grave if he did.

Impatiently, Joseph waited and tried to restrain himself from pacing or making quiet noises of frustration. While his Father didn’t mind the animalistic noises he made on occasion, he _knew_ the townsfolk would. He glanced towards the older man for a moment before turning and trying to sneak off to find something interesting to do. However, his name being said sharply caused him to pause and look back towards his Father.

“Get back here.”

He tilted his head back and groaned loudly before dragging himself to where his Father stood. “You aren’t doing anything that needs me to be around. While you’re doing that, I could go do something constructive like…I don’t know. Getting those boots you mentioned.”

“No. You’re staying here. The _last_ time I let you wander off, you got into a fight with the Woodmore’s boy and got a black eye out of the deal.”

“To be fair, he started it by calling me a ‘half-bred bastard cur’.” Joseph noted, and then added with a bit of smugness in his voice. “…I won though.”

“You broke his damn arm, that’s what you did. You’re staying here, and that’s final, because gods know I don’t need to deal with another incident like that.” Stefan absolutely didn’t see the humor in the situation.

“Fine, but can I at least go sit down on the bench?” When his Father made a slight gesture, Joseph turned and tromped off to sit on the bench. It really didn’t improve how bored he felt, but at least he didn’t have to listen to the haggling and fake claims of items being overpriced. Still, it allowed him time to quietly watch the merchants in the square. He knew they stared at him, especially with how they’d suddenly become busy when he looked at them.

Sighing, he leaned forward to rest his forearms on his knees. Honestly, he didn’t quite feel confident about leaving everything he knew. On one hand, the idea excited him. He’d get to see new places and experience different things…But on the other? He knew little about the world beyond the cabin, the forest around it, and Muval. Everything he knew came from books that had been beyond ancient when he received them and rumors from mostly illiterate townsfolk.

When his Father moved to another stall, he immediately recognized it as Aubin’s. Sitting up straight, he watched the brief transaction before getting up to intercept the older man. Before the bag of jerky could be put away, Joseph snatched it. “This is mine, now.”

He ignored the exasperated sound his Father made from behind him and dug into the bag. After finding a suitable piece of jerky, he popped it into his mouth and contentedly chewed on it. He had no idea what Aubin used to make the stuff, but it tasted like the most glorious thing ever. Honestly, it made the whole ordeal worth it. He closed his eyes, briefly, and made a soft hum of contentment under his breath.

Opening his eyes, he leaned back on the bench and watched a few more people drift into the market, including Morris Woodmore. After their fight, he’d never bothered Joseph again. The slightly older man gave him a wide berth, but warily stared. At least until Joseph snapped his teeth at him, prompting Morris to look away and find a different stall to do business at. This, however, earned him a smack to the head by his Father. “What?!”

“You know better than to do that, Joseph.” Stefan gave his son a stern look and spoke softly. “Did all my lectures all these years just fall out of your skull?

“Yes, I do know better, and yes I remember your lectures…But you also know I don’t like being stared at.” People staring always made him feel irritated and almost…Aggressive at times.

“Just eat your damn jerky and get over it.” He shook his head at Joseph and sighed. “I have two more stalls to look at, then we’ll go to the leatherer to see about some new boots, and we’ll leave.”

By the time his Father had finished with the two stalls, Joseph had nearly finished off the bag of jerky. Annoyingly, it’d done nothing to sate his hunger. Something that had become a trend as of late. He could eat to the point of feeling ill, yet deep down he still hungered. He could only describe it as a deep hunger, something that couldn’t be satisfied with mere food. Perhaps one day he’d find what would finally sooth it.

“Good morning.” The leatherer greeted them both warmly and spoke with a strange accent. He only gave Joseph and his eyes a passing glance before getting down to business. “How may I help you gentlemen on this fine day?”

Stefan gestured at his son. “I’m looking for a good pair of traveling boots for him. His are a bit on the worn side.”

“Ah, so something durable and comfortable?” When the older man nodded, he gestured at the younger one. “Come! Let me see what I can find for you.”

After following the man into his shop, Joseph looked around curiously. The scent of oils and the chemicals used to tan skins caused him to wrinkle is nose; he had no idea how he hadn’t sneezed yet. When prompted, he pulled his boot off and handed it to the man who frowned but started searching through a few boxes. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure I have a pair in your size. I could custom make a pair for you, but that’d be more expensive and take a few days.” He replied as he tried to find a pair in a similar size, but kept finding boots that were too small. “It just depends on what you want.”

He frowned and considered things. Honestly, his boots weren’t in that bad of shape and frankly, he _could_ just go barefoot if he needed to. Gods knew he’d spent plenty of time out in the forest running around barefoot. Hell, most of the time when he took off for days at a time, he simply stashed his clothes and went buck naked.

“I think I’ll hold off for now.” After receiving his boot back, he pulled it on before returning to his Father who waited outside. “He didn’t have any in my size and would have to make it custom. So, I told him not to bother.”

“A few days would hurt you to wait, but…It’s your choice.” Stefan replied as he passed the satchel to Joseph. “Well, do you want to head off right now or do you want to head home for a final meal before you leave?”

“I think a final meal at home would be a good idea.” He smiled slightly at the idea of a bowl of stew, but the smile fell away at the yells that came from the town center. Suddenly, the air felt different, a cold electric feeling that danced across his skin and caused something deep inside of him to snarl. He grabbed his Father’s arm and gave it a sharp tug. “We need to go.”

Stefan stared towards the town center where the yells had turned to screams and wondered if the rumors of soldiers had merit. The tug to his arm snapped him back and he followed after Joseph. “It’s not the screams that have you spooked. What is it?”

“It feels bad.” He glanced over his shoulder where a pale blue glow had started towards the town center. Quickly, he broke into a jog, hauling his father along with him. At least until the older man stumbled. Joseph stopped to pull him to his feet, making a quiet whine under his breath as his attention darted from the older man and then to the town center behind them. “We have to run. We can’t stay here.”

Never in his life had he seen his son so anxious and this worried Stefan as did the sharp sensation of cold electricity on his skin. It made him realize why the young man seemed so upset. He climbed back up to his feet and tried to keep up with Joseph, but over the years, his countless treks through the forest had caught up with him. He still tried, though, but with each step he took he steadily realized he wouldn’t be able to keep up with his son. Already, he felt out of breath; he stopped being a fit young man many years ago. “I don’t think I can run. Joseph, take what I bought you and run. Go to the cabin, get supplies and _go north to Kovis_.”

“I’m not leaving you!” The sudden cessation of the electric feeling caused Joseph to pop his head up and look behind them. While he would have considered the change to be good, the distortion of the screams caused his stomach to clench in fear. “I think we’re out of time.”

Despite his Father’s urgings to run, he stood there, rooted to the ground much like the many deer he’d hunted over the years. He felt like prey, a sensation entirely foreign to him. The explosion caused him to jolt. Joseph barely had time to shove his Father onto the ground and dive down on top of him behind the short, stone wall before the shockwave hit.

Initially, it sucked the air out of his lungs and left him gasping for air. Then, it felt cold. Cold enough to chill him to the bone as if he’d stepped out into the coldest winter day imaginable. Around him he heard a multitude of screams that steadily distorted into sounds seemed more like demonic wails than anything human.

He couldn’t be sure if he heard his Father screaming or not, just that the man’s arm felt almost…Skeletal. He buried his face in the crook of his arm and remained hunkered down against his father. Despite the desire to look around, he kept his eyes clamped shut and struggled to breath as the shockwave continued on, unending.

To his left, the stone wall began to crumble and he could make out the sound of the rocks hitting the ground around him. A stone hit him in the back, then another and another. Suddenly, the entire wall crumbled on top of him.


	3. The Angry Survivors

Everything ached; his back and head, most of all. Slowly, he opened his eyes and it took him a moment to realize that he was alone under the rubble. His heart skipped a beat and he pushed himself upright, the stones that had been on top of him fell down around him. Beneath him, he saw no indication of his Father having ever existed. A soft, warbling whine formed in his throat before the scent of dust and decay caused him to sneeze.

As he used the remains of the wall to balance himself and pull himself to his feet, he touched the back of his head where he felt dried blood. Around him, the town had been destroyed. Buildings were simply knocked over and the few that remained stood as half caved in skeletons. The few trees that still stood had their leaves and bark stripped away; most had simply fallen over or were completely gone. Above him, the sky had turned grey from clouds and he couldn’t tell if it was later in the day or if the clouds were simply that thick.

Joseph stepped over the wall, stumbling a bit as he did so; the quiet whine he made turned into a soft whimper. Bit by bit, he checked the square, hoping to find other survivors. He found none. Then again, they’d been out in the open…Yet, Father and him had been behind the wall. He lightly tugged on his hair and stepped into the remains of the leatherer’s shop. For a long few minutes, he stared at the shadow on the wall of the man, holding his arms up defensively. Once more, he didn’t find a body. They were simply _gone_.

He slowly made his way towards the town center, his steps unbalanced as he tried to push through his pain and dizziness. Likely, a rock had hit him in the head and knocked him out. He supposed that he could be lucky that it didn’t kill him, but Joseph didn’t know if the alternative was any better. After all, everything he knew had simply ceased to be.

Every now and then, he swore he saw light blue figures out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned his head to look, he saw nothing. Joseph chose to assume his head injury had something to do with it. He paused to touch the remains of a tree; the shockwave had stripped it of leaves, bark, and limbs, leaving it twisted and bent over. The tree crumbled into dust at his touch, causing him to sneeze.

The epicenter of the blast had left the town almost unrecognizable. Where houses once stood, laid dirt and bits of rubble. However, in the center of it all floated a light blue ball. It shimmered a myriad of colors and he couldn’t help but stare as he slowly stumbled towards it, captivated by the strange beauty of it. The ever-pervasive hunger surged up and he knew that he needed to touch the ball, somehow, but the sound of a horse whinnying snapped him back to the present. A small group of soldiers approached, led by a man on horseback.

Kebin halted the soldiers and stared at the lone man for a moment. The wide stance to his feet, slightly hunched posture, and glow to his eyes suggested that he was little more than a ghoul. He must have been on the outskirts of the town after the spell went off: close enough for his soul to be removed, but far enough away that his body survived. “It’s nothing more than a ghoul. Just kill the bastard while I gather the magic.”

Joseph blinked a few times at this. He had no idea what a ghoul might be, but the man on the horse seemed to know what’d happened. Slowly, he stumbled to the side a bit so that he could get a better look without being blinded by the floating orb. “You did this?” His voice came out hoarse from how dry his throat felt. “Why?”

Ghouls didn’t speak. In fact, they rarely made noises at all. They were mindless things that couldn’t feel pain. So, when the ghoul _spoke_ , this got his attention…And the man’s eyes had stopped glowing, except…They were reflective? This certainly interested Kebin, since it suggested the man wasn’t human and a potential reason on why he had survived. Very few races were capable of surviving soul magic and almost none of them appeared human…Unless he’d just stumbled in after the fact. It _had_ been a few hours, after all. “I did, and the reason really doesn’t matter.”

“Sir?” One of the soldiers spoke up, unsure of what to do since the man in question wasn’t a ghoul.

“Just kill him.”

Joseph took a step back as the soldiers advanced on him and glanced towards the unknown man as he walked towards the glowing ball. His instincts had never steered him wrong and currently, they insisted that he more or less tackle…Whatever the hell the ball was. Honestly, he really didn’t have many options. There were too many soldiers for him to handle, he was injured, and he doubted he could run. So, he lunged for the glowing ball.

“…Or he could do that.” Kebin noted before making an expression of indifference. “Well, it’ll kill him, too.”

It felt cold and the coldness seeped into his bones, oozing through every part of him, threatening to consume every bit of him, like a starving beast. Joseph’s hunger, however, was far greater. He didn’t know how or why, but he felt the deep hunger within him finally be satisfied. The aches and pain and fatigue faded away, leaving him with a singular emotion: anger.

He found himself on his hands and knees, his head bowed as he struggled to catch his breath. A low growl that rumbled in his chest finally came out as a snarl, the sound seemed impossible for a human to make. Joseph pushed himself back up to his feet, and while he still felt unsteady, he briefly delighted in the startled looks on the faces of the soldiers.

Kebin remained silent for a long minute as he processed what he’d just seen. “That…Was not supposed to happen.” He gestured at the man. “What are you waiting for? Kill him! I want that damned magic back!”

Joseph had limited experience with swords, nothing more than occasionally swinging sticks around with the other children. Still, he knew enough to know that being hit by one would be pretty bad. He kept stepping back from the swings and searched for an opening. Then again, someone with no sword experience couldn’t really hope to stand up against a trained swordsman. Only through sheer dumb luck did he managed to avoid a thrust and tackle the soldier where he began ruthlessly punching him.

Unfortunately, Joseph momentarily forgot about the other five soldiers. When he sat up, the sword that was suddenly shoved through his back caused him to scream in pain. A foot slammed into his back and kicked him forward as the sword’s owner yanked the weapon out of him. He laid there, bleeding out on the dead soldier beneath him and yet…The pain faded and his breathing improved. Then, it was as if he’d never been injured.

After a moment longer, he climbed back up to his feet. “I’m not done yet, fucker.”

The soldiers froze and the one who’d attacked him turned around to face him again. Joseph tackled him and snapped his jaws down on the man’s throat. He lacked the bone crushing strength and sharp teeth of his other form, but his current teeth were still sharper than a human’s. Besides, he wasn’t after bone. He jerked his head back, ripping away flesh and the soldier’s trachea. Spitting out the gore, he curled his lips back and snarled before plucking up the man’s short sword. Two down. Four left. The odds were a hell of a lot better.

However, his bravado was a bit short lived when all four soldiers rushed him. Initially, Joseph held his ground against them but they quickly put him on the defensive. He stumbled over something and landed on his ass; he couldn’t do this on his own, he needed help.

Something let out an ungodly shriek before twisted and deformed… _Things_ appeared. Several of the ghostly things grabbed the soldiers and dragged the men to the ground. The soldiers screamed as they withered away and fell apart into dust. Joseph looked up at the creatures fearfully, swearing some of them looked like the townsfolk. He felt certain they’d attack him, but instead, they stood there passively.

Kebin slowly clapped. “I have no idea how you did it, but that was a _remarkable_ show. Frankly, I think I’m more interested in you instead of the magic you somehow absorbed. That was pure, concentrated soul magic and…Boop! Not a problem. Whereas if I were to have done the same?” He laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t be standing here. Now, mind telling me what you are?”

He climbed to his feet and carefully moved past the creatures. “The man who’s going to kill you.”

“Ah, bravado! Either you’re stupidly confident or you don’t know. I’m going to guess both.” Kebin clasped his hands behind his back, then he nodded towards the creatures. “You don’t even know what those are, do you?”

Joseph glanced over his shoulder before looking back to the man. “No, I don’t. What are they?”

“Very dangerous things. A bit mindless, but still dangerous. They might be content standing around you right now, but once they get hungry? Well, ever fed starving hogs? Isn’t pretty.”

“ _Liar._ ” A voice hissed into Joseph’s ear.

While he didn’t know what the creatures were, he had very little reason to trust the other man. “Maybe, but they sure as hell don’t seem to like you…And I kinda agree with them on that idea.”

“Perhaps so. But I have something you don’t.”

“Which is?” Joseph tensed as the man slowly sauntered towards him; the creatures suddenly snarled and recoiled when he held up a hand. Any attempt on their part to go past a certain point saw them bouncing off of some invisible barrier.

“Information. I have a very good idea of what you are. Come with me and I can…Remove these pesky simpletons and…Well, show you what you are.”

The promise of information was very tempting, but the word ‘simpletons’ caused his mind to grind to a halt. Were those creatures the townsfolk? That’d mean… “You destroyed the town, though. That doesn’t give me much reason to trust you.”

Kebin stopped in front of the man and peered up at him, but still remained out of reach. Cat’s eyes, or in this case, dragon’s eyes. Likely a young one who hadn’t quite fully come into his abilities, still highly dangerous…If the dead soldiers were any indication. It also explained why he’d survived the soul magic and been able to absorb, or rather, consume it. Removing the souls would be impossible, but he’d found a far greater prize. “Well, that’s war, unfortunately. I was under orders.”

“You destroyed the town and killed everyone.”

“Perhaps so…But tell me, young man, were you really welcome? You were ostracized, weren’t you? Seen as something different to be ridiculed and mocked?” The first question had been a careful probe, and the dragon’s faintly pained expression caused Kebin to prod further. It’d be easier to convince him to follow along than force him. Either way, a very powerful weapon stood in front of him.

“I…Yes. They did.” Joseph had taken note of how the creatures couldn’t approach them after the other man had raised his hand. “They always stared when I came to town and I hated it. Why? What’s your point?”

“Then why are you so bothered? They treated you like trash, the superstitious idiots. They couldn’t see what you could do, your power…And you said it yourself: you hated it, hated them.” He stepped closer and hid a smile at how the young man’s shoulders seemed to sag.

Joseph subtly tightened his grip on the sword he still held in his hand. It rested against his leg as he listened to the man’s attempt to sway him. The problem with this notion? He’d already made up his mind ages ago. “Yes…I hated them…But I hate you even more.”

Kebin screamed when the dragon suddenly lashed out with the sword and cut his hand off. He tucked his arm against him and stumbled backwards as the magical ward faltered. As the ghosts lunged for him, he raised his other hand to bring up the ward again.

He lunged forward and swung the sword again. While he didn’t manage to take off the hand, he _did_ hit the elbow and render the limb mostly useless. “These are the people who lived here, aren’t they?”

Rather than answering, Kebin stumbled backwards, but tripped over the corpse of one of the soldiers. He stared up at the sword suddenly pointed at his face and flinched at the growl from the other man.

“ _Answer me_.” Joseph’s voice came out as more of a snarl than anything else.

“Yes! Yes, they are! Why do you care? You said it yourself, you hated them!”

He looked behind him at the creatures. More of them had appeared, some wearing clothes that he recognized. Looking back to the man on the ground, he spoke softly. “Because I was here with my Father.”

“So, you’re going to kill me and throw away knowing who…What you are, because of one person?!”

Joseph shook his head. “I’m not going to kill you.” He tossed the sword onto the ground and took a few steps back; the other man looked relieved…Till Joseph tilted his head towards the ghosts. “They are.”

The ghosts wailed and descended upon Kebin, where they latched onto him. Within seconds, the man had been reduced to dust. Joseph, meanwhile, trudged to the remains of a house and sat down against what little remained of the foundation. The sun had long since set and the only light came from the ghosts who simply stared at him.

He sat there and quietly reviewed the events of the day. The town of Murval simply didn’t exist anymore and those who’d called it home were dead. His Father, was dead, and Joseph had nothing now. Today had been planned as the start of some plucky adventure into the wild blue yonder. Looking at the broken remains of the town made him feel naïve for even thinking such a thing. Finally, he rested his elbows on his knees, buried his face in his hands, and cried.

When he finally felt hollow inside, he raised his head and found the ghosts in front of him. Some stood, some sat down, others almost seemed to huddle in groups as if they were frightened. Among the groups were smaller ghosts. Children. A ghost drifted through the crowd, holding something. Upon reaching him, it held out the satchel. With a shaking hand, he took it. “You’re not mindless…Are you?”

“ _No._ ” The distorted voice rasped.

Joseph looked away and sucked in a shaky breath before looking back to the ghosts. “I…What happened? Why are you like that?”

“ _We’re bound to you, until we’re consumed._ ” The ghost paused before it spat out the next sentence. “ _We obey you._ ”

“No. No. There has to be some way to release you. I-I don’t want that. I mean, yes, I hated you guys, but I just wanted to leave. I didn’t want you to die or be turned into…” He helplessly gestured at the ghosts in front of him.

“ _You can’t. It’s part of the magic. It would have happened regardless of who took the magic_.”

“How do you even know this?”

“ _Kebin. The wizard. We took his knowledge._ ”

“So, you can tell me what I am?” He sat up a bit straighter, but then slouched back down when the ghost shook its head.

“ _He told you everything. He wanted to trick you. Lure you. Use you._ ”

“Why?”

“ _We’re not sure. A weapon, we think. You’re young and supposedly haven’t come into your abilities. He thought something might happen due to consuming the magic._ ”

Joseph rubbed his head. “What do you mean ‘consume’, I ate it?”

“ _Yes. You apparently can eat magic_.”

“I guess that’s why I survived being stabbed.” He looked down at his chest where his blood mingled with the soldier’s whose throat he ripped out and stained his shirt. Absently, he rubbed where he’d been stabbed. “…Still hurt, though.”

Finally, he sighed. “Is…My Father with you?”

The ghost bowed its head before stepping back into the group and being replaced by a different ghost. It looked just as twisted as the others, but wore clothes that made Joseph’s heart skip a beat. “ _I’m here._ ”

He shakily reached out and touched his father, but recoiled at the cold that made his fingers go numb. “I’m sorry.”

“ _You’re not to blame. Perhaps I should have listened to you and hurried. I suppose to put a positive spin on things, I can travel with you. Well, at least until…_ ”

“Until I ‘consume’ you.” He looked down at his hands, horrified by the thought.

“ _You need to leave. If someone investigates, they can’t find you here. Go back to the cabin, clean yourself up, rest, and go north._ ”

“To Kovis?” When his father’s ghost nodded, Joseph sighed and nodded, too. Getting up to his feet, he briefly frowned at the ghosts. “Are you going to be following me like that, or…?”

Abruptly, the ghosts vanished, leaving him the sole living thing in the destroyed town. He stood there for a moment before slinging the satchel over his shoulder and starting back home. The destruction didn’t extend more than a few hundred feet past the town, but the normal nighttime wildlife seemed absent. Joseph wondered if they had all fled.

The sounds of wildlife gradually returned the closer he got to the cabin, and by the time he reached it, the nighttime insects were nearly deafening. After dropping the satchel on the table, he lit a fire in the fireplace and a few candles for light. Without his Father puttering around the cabin, it felt empty. He always knew he’d outlive the older man, that was just how things went…But he also always assumed he’d have a body to bury.

With the fire happily crackling, he went to get himself cleaned up…As well as pick the bits of flesh stuck between his teeth. Ripping the man’s throat out had been crude, gory, but surprisingly effective. Sighing, he rubbed at the spot where the sword had erupted. It didn’t hurt and he didn’t have a scar, but logic told him that he should be dead. People just didn’t survive being ran through with a sword unless a healer happened to be nearby. Yet…Somehow, he had.

After fixing himself something to eat, he sat down at the table and poked at his food before he started slowing eating. While not exactly physically tired, he still felt drained…Emotionally, perhaps. Afterall, he’d lost everyone he’d ever known in one fell swoop. It didn’t really matter if he liked them or not. He just had a hard time mentally grasping the idea.

Still, the deep-seated hunger he’d felt for nearly a year had finally gone away. Softly, he snorted and flicked at a feather on the table. “…Magic eater, huh?”

He still didn’t know what to think about the things he’d learned. Honestly, he just wished the entire day hadn’t happened. In a way, he almost blamed himself. Afterall, his desire to explore the world had prompted their trek to Murval to get supplies. On the other hand, neither of them knew what’d happen. Joseph suddenly snarled and slapped the empty bowl off the table where it clattered off somewhere on the other side of the kitchen. Sighing, he rubbed his face as he tried to rationalize everything. When he dropped his hands, a twisted ghost sat in front of him.

“ _You always did have a temper. Just don’t let it consume you._ ”

“Maybe I want to.” He replied, bitterly as he stood to fetch the bowl he’d knocked away. “Maybe I want to kill every last one of them. That man…He said he was just following orders. It means someone _told_ him to do that.”

“ _And many men have gone to their deaths while seeking revenge. I…_ ” Stefan sighed softly. “ _I know your angry, gods I can feel it. We all can. We’re a part of you…Somehow. But…we’re angry too. Whatever Kebin did, it changed all of us. We want revenge just as much as you._ ”

“Then why try to talk me out of it?”

“ _Self-preservation. If you die, so do we. We’re going to die as we’re consumed, but we want to cling to this **fucking** god forsaken world as long as we can.”_

Joseph’s eyes widened a bit at his father’s words. Never had he heard the man speak with such anger and malice. The ghost in front of him bowed his head in apology.

“ _I’m…Sorry. As I said. We’re angry. Kebin felt that you hadn’t fully come into your strength, which means you’re probably still growing, in some fashion. For all intents and purposes, you’re a grown man by human standards…But I’m not entirely sure the same holds true by dragon standards. My entire point is this: Wait. Get some experience under your belt. Learn to fight. Discover what you can do. Then…_ ” Stefan shrugged slightly. “ _I don’t know, eat people?_ ”

He scoffed and then laughed. “Are you seriously saying you’re okay with the idea of me eating someone?”

“ _...Joseph, you ripped a man’s throat out with your teeth, tonight. You’re…Not human. You were never human. You’re a predator and you’ve always been one and I’ve seen it for years. I tried to foster the human side of you, so you could survive in society. But I neglected to teach you about your other half, because I didn’t know how. I think you’ve done a good job as it is, but you need to continue to learn._ ” Stefan tried to pick up the feather on the table but sighed when his hand passed through it. “ _All I can do now is give you advice, at least until…_ ”

“So…I’m an angry dragon with…How many of you are there?”

“ _About 60._ ”

“Angry dragon with 60 pissed off ghosts following him around. Huh.” He leaned back in his chair. “So…Where do you go when I can’t see you?”

“ _We’re invisible_.”

“…Neat. Is there a distance on how far away from me you can get?”

“ _Aubin mentioned it being about the size of the town, if you were at the town center_.”

Joseph crossed his arms as he considered this information. “Murval is going to get checked out, eventually. Don’t know if it’ll be locals or if it’ll be soldiers. Would I be right in thinking that if it’s soldiers, they might want to poke around in the local area?” When his father nodded, he continued. “Which means someone might point them this way. Can…They just look out for anyone who might be coming up to the cabin?”

“ _You mean posting guards?_ ” When Joseph nodded, Stefan smiled. “ _Done. If anyone is seen, I’ll let you know. You should get some sleep._ ”

He nodded, but sighed. “Just…Don’t know how I’ll be able to sleep. I just…Keep hearing the screams. Did…It hurt?”

“ _I…Yes, but only for a short moment. I felt cold, mostly. Joseph, don’t blame yourself for any of this. It was going to happen regardless of us being there…And to be honest, I’d planned on going into town, anyway. I think it would have been worse on you had you stayed here._ ”

He could definitely agree with that idea. Finally, he got up to his feet and tossed another log into the fireplace before he shuffled to his room. The cabin still felt too quiet, even with the faint noise of the fireplace. Then again, he supposed that he’d just have to get used to it.


	4. Magic Gives You Wings

It never failed that each morning, Joseph would be woken up by his father jabbing him in the back with a broom handle. The habit had stemmed from him trying to bite the older man’s hand while still being half asleep…Numerous times. Finally, his father had simply started using the broom to wake him up…A much safer and more effective method.

This morning, he woke up naturally and without the usual dramatics of him snarling in his half-asleep state. Slowly, he rolled onto his back and stretched, curling his toes at the peak of it. With a sigh, he relaxed and flopped his head to the side where he stared at his bedroom door. Why hadn’t his father…He closed his eyes as the memories of yesterday bubbled up.

That’s right…He was essentially alone, now. Sure, he had 60 or so ghosts following him around, but they couldn’t really be considered people anymore. He laid in bed for a bit longer before finally getting up and pulling on a pair of pants then grabbing his bow and quiver of arrows. Slowly, he padded out into the main part of the cabin and grunted his annoyance at the idea of having to built another fire. There really wasn’t much point when he’d be leaving shortly after breakfast.

Then again, he also didn’t have any reason to really stay. He could always catch something as he traveled. Joseph rubbed his thumb over the worn leather on his bow before setting it and the quiver down on the table then returning to his room to grab a shirt. Once fully dressed, he wrapped some cured meat, stuffed it in the satchel, then gathered his things to leave. Outside, he paused at the chicken pen before opening the door to release the birds. They would likely be picked off by hawks, fox, and coyotes, but it was better than them starving. At least now they had a chance at survival.

He continued down the woodland path that led to the main road. There, instead of heading west, he went north. Quietly, he looked towards Murval and the startling lack of the temple roof. Things could have been a great deal worse: the attack could have happened during a busy market day. Many, many more people would have been killed rather than the 60 who currently followed him around. Softly, he made an irritated growl under his breath. His temper still ran hot at the indifference that Kebin had shown towards the destruction.

On the other hand, as he traveled further away from his home, he shifted his attention more towards the nature around him. Joseph found it hard to be irritable with the greenery around him. He snorted loudly at the thought. Maybe his father had been right: he _was_ a child of the forest in some fashion. It tended to be a catchall term, anyway, for beings that looked humanoid who dwelled in forests and nature. Dryads, Fae, Nymphs, and Water spirits all fell under the term.

Every now and then, he’d pass someone on the road. Sometimes they’d greet him, other times they ignored him, but most times they’d give his eyes a wary glance and look away. It really did nothing for his already depressed mood. Still, he trekked onwards, hoping the people would become less judgey in the city. While several days away and very remote, Kovis tended to be a melting pot of cultures due to being both a major trade city and also a port city.

When midday hit, he started feeling overheated and honestly a bit ill. Admittedly, he hadn’t eaten very much for breakfast and so he figured that was the issue. Stepping off the road, he made his way into the forest to find a decent spot to rest and eat. He managed to find an area near a creek and dunked his head under the water to help cool himself off. Strangely enough, it didn’t help and so he simply sat down to eat in hopes of food helping.

It didn’t. In fact, as time passed, he began feeling sicker. The sensation of being overheated shifted into a fever and a sharp ache settled into his bones. It reminded him of the first change he went through as a child…But so much worse. That one had been harsh, but quick. The fever and pain only lasted a short bit before he changed. Presently, he’d spent the last few hours curled up under a tree in pain and the sensation of needing to change rippled down his spine each time he breathed.

When dusk arrived, Joseph finally stripped down and shifted. The change felt unusually agonizing, compared to the usual mild discomfort of needing to stretch. It left him flopped on his side, panting and groaning. The pain had localized in his shoulders and back, causing him to take short, gasped breaths to minimize the stabbing pain. To make things worse, the fever had changed to something unbearable, as if someone had lit a fire in his gut and continued to fan the flames higher.

He knew something was wrong, he _never_ got sick. If he did, changing his form made it feel better, not get worse. Joseph moaned and flopped over onto his other side in an attempt to ease the pain. Nothing seemed to help. He opened his eyes and tried to relax his hand where the claws had dug into the earth. Parts of his scales seemed to simply ripple out of existence and blend in with the ground under him before reappearing as if nothing had happened. His gut twisted up in fear at the sight. What was happening to him?

Sighing, he flopped his hand over his snout. His father had always teased him for being a dragon but an uncharacteristic one. No horns on his head, no spines down his back, no wings, and he couldn’t spit fire. Really, he just looked like an overgrown lizard with a bad attitude. Another ripple of pain radiated down his spine, causing him to kick out and shove himself against the tree behind him. The pressure against his shoulders seemed to help a bit, but not nearly enough.

As nighttime took hold, his fever grew worse, leaving him almost delirious. He swore he saw the ghosts moving around in the forest, but all he could really focus on was his own misery.  A part of him wondered how no one had found him yet. Surely, he was making all sorts of noise that could be heard. Then again, maybe no one wanted to mess with something that sounded like him.

Somehow, he managed to fall asleep and woke up the next day with a pounding headache. The morning light caused him to wince in pain and his stomach violently churn. Then, he threw up…Which did nothing to help his headache or back. It simply made him feel worse. Once he finished, he flopped over onto his side for a moment before dragging himself over to a tree where he shoved his back against it. Unlike the prior day, the pressure didn’t help and just made things even more painful.

He rolled back onto his stomach and lashed his tail when he twisted his neck to press his head against his side. The pain suddenly intensified, causing him to squint his eyes shut. It radiated down either side of his spine, but seemed focused around his shoulders. Joseph flopped his head to the side and panted, making soft grunts of pain under his breath.

Then pain ripped through him like a hot knife, causing him to let out a deep, guttural scream. He clawed at the ground, trying to futilely drag himself away from the pain, but he could barely muster the strength to move. Finally, his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

When he clawed his way back to consciousness, he felt relieved at the lack of pain. He still felt hot, but the fever had apparently broke. However, he also scented blood in the air. Concerned, he glanced over his shoulder to see if he’d harmed himself and hadn’t realized it. Instead, he saw dark brown _wings_. Joseph stared for a long few moments before lifting his left one. The limb lifted weakly and shook before flopping limply back to the ground.

Considering how tired and drained he felt, he didn’t really feel surprised. That being said, he didn’t know what to think about the notion of having wings. The idea of flying sounded…Honestly a lot scarier than fun. After a moment, he ducked his head down and lightly ran his claws over his head. No, no horns. Maybe those would come with age. He really didn’t know.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position and curled his upper lip in distaste at how his wings just flopped everywhere. They seemed overly large and unwieldly. After a moment, he stretched them open to try and get an idea of his wingspan, but he didn’t manage to open them very much before his muscles started to burn. He tucked them back against his sides and heaved a tired sigh. With everything that’d happened in the past day or two, it wasn’t a surprise that his back muscles would be sore.

Finally, he simply changed back to his human form, dressed, and flopped down under a tree to dig through his satchel. Food sounded wonderful. He eagerly scarfed down the cured meat and felt the lingering bits of his headache slowly fade away. Next to him, the faint ghost of his father appeared.

“ _I’m glad you woke up._ ” Stefan sent his son a worried look.

“I just passed out from the pain, that’s all.” He popped a bit of meat into his mouth. “Why are you all faint?”

“ _Joseph, it nearly killed you. Between the fever and the wings…But you pulled through.”_ He glanced down at his nearly translucent hands. “ _The sun. It makes us harder to see._ ”

“You mean, when I passed out?” Joseph grimaced at the nod he received. “Well, it’s over. As long as that doesn’t happen again…I wonder why it did, though.”

“ _Kebin suspected something might happen after you consumed the magic and he didn’t think you’d fully come into your abilities just yet. Maybe the two are related._ ” He made an aborted move to nudge his son, but dropped his arm. “ _Well, what’s done is done. What do you think of the idea of flying?_ ”

“If man was meant to fly, he’d have wings.”

Stefan laughed. “ _Well, it seems that you have wings and so you were meant to fly._ ”

“Honestly? The idea is terrifying. I don’t know the first thing about flying and have no idea how I’m supposed to learn without anyone to teach me.” He wrapped what he hadn’t eaten and tucked it back into the satchel.

“ _Well, how do birds learn to fly?_ ”

“They fall out of the nest or their parents boot them out.” He paused and frowned at his father. “I’m not going to fling myself off a cliff! I can barely open my wings!”

“ _Then find a wide-open area and practice getting your strength up._ ” Saying nothing further, he vanished.

“…Gods, I think he’s worse in death than he was in life.” Despite his griping, he felt happy to still have his father’s guidance, as limited as it might be.

Considering everything that’d happened, Joseph decided to make camp and just rest. He really didn’t have a schedule and he honestly felt tired. Thankfully, he’d picked an area with a high squirrel population. While an individual animal didn’t yield a great deal of meat, he had a fairly decent meal after killing several of the things. However, instead of making a fire, he simply skinned and gutted them before eating them raw. He’d done so for years while roaming the forests. It tended to be easier than potentially spooking all the animals with the smoke or starting a forest fire in the dry months of summer.

After he finished eating, he returned to the creek to clean himself up. While not very deep, it still had enough water for him to get most of the dried sweat off. When he finished, he carefully perched on a rock to allow himself to air dry. Every now and then, he shook his head to get more water out of his hair. Honestly, he regretted not bringing something to tie his hair back with.

Despite how warm he still felt, the sensation of the late morning sun on his back made him feel content. He closed his eyes and let the stresses of the past few days melt away. As depressing and horrible as everything had been, he still had his father, in a sense. He was also still alive and he…Wasn’t really chained down anymore, was he? Joseph opened his eyes again. He’d always wanted freedom, to be free of being told what to do and…Well, now he had it.

Finally, he dressed again and returned to his little camp to figure out his plans for getting to Kovis. The road would take him there, no issue. It’d just wind through a few villages and towns on the way. He figured he could pick up any supplies he needed, be it with money or trading something. Quietly, he mulled over things a bit longer before laying down to rest.

The next morning, he had a quick breakfast before packing up and returning to the road. There, he wandered along until a large group of swordsmen on horseback rode past. Joseph stepped off the road and watched them as they went past him. It made him wonder if they’d heard about Murval, since they all wore the insignia of the kingdom.

Different factions had been vying for control of the lands for years and they’d been trying long before he’d even been born. It honestly worried him that things were starting to come to a head, especially since the events at Murval could be considered an act of war. This, of course, assumed that war hadn’t already been declared and they hadn’t learned about it, yet. Joseph shook his head and kept walking; he’d likely find out when he finally reached Kovis.

The forests slowly thinned to grasslands and he stopped to stare out at the plains of green in front of him. Gently, the grass undulated and moved like the gentle waves of a lake. He’d camp here, tonight, Joseph decided. No doubt, any prey he found here would be plump off of the grass. Breaking away from the road, he waded through the grass until he reached one of the large, nearly house sized boulders that dotted the plains. He stared up at the massive rock as the satchel slipped off his shoulder and wondered how they’d gotten to the plains.

After stripping down and stuffing his things into the satchel, he shifted. The sensation of the wings sprouting from his back felt weird and once he finished, he gave a healthy shake before stretching like a cat. He quickly climbed up onto the top of the rock and sat down to scan the lands around him. Joseph supposed that one day, he’d be able to swoop down and pluck his prey up off the ground, but today sure as hell was not that day.

He spotted a small group of deer and watched them for a moment before climbing down to the ground. Immediately, he crouched down a bit and slowly began sneaking towards the herd. He was experienced in hunting in the forest and using the greenery to camouflage himself. Here, he didn’t have that ability. While he didn’t know if his hunt would be successful, he saw it as a chance to learn.

Bit by bit, he crept forward, the tip of his tail wiggling slightly in anticipation. Every time one of the deer lifted their head, he froze. Joseph loved hunting as a dragon, it felt so different than hunting with a bow. He felt like coiled power, tense and ready to explode at any given moment. The sudden yips and barks of coyotes pulled him out of his thoughts and prompted him to freeze mid-step.

In front of him, the deer all raised their heads before flagging their tails; a sure sign they were going to spook. The sounds of the coyotes had come from the other side of the deer, which meant they could run towards him. Joseph crouched down even lower to the ground and waited.

Initially, they bolted towards him but when they saw him, they suddenly changed direction. It really didn’t matter, they’d run close enough to him that he could give chase. He lunged forward, his long stride easily closing the distance between him and his prey. Rather than snapping his teeth down on its hindquarters, an action that could loosen teeth, he slammed his head into the deer’s side. It went tumbling and barely had a chance to get up before his jaws snapped down on its neck.

Content with his kill, he carried the deer in his jaws back to where he’d made camp. There, he climbed back up onto the top of the rock to eat. While coyotes couldn’t harm him, they could be annoying by stealing bites of meat…If they were brave enough, anyway. He laid down and got himself comfortable before slowly stretching his wings out, then letting them flop down on either side of him. Fully stretched out, the things looked comically oversized and it made him wonder how he’d ever fly with them. Joseph finally just shook his head and began eating.

When he’d finished eating, the only things remaining of the deer were random odd bones and perhaps a hoof or two. He kicked the remains off his perch and yawned. The rock under him still felt warm from the day’s sun and he was hesitant to climb off. On one hand, it’d make him more visible, but on the other? He really didn’t think anyone would bother him. Finally, he simply closed his eyes to sleep.

It wasn’t the warmth of the morning sun on his back that woke him. Instead, it was the squeal of an upset horse. Blearily, he blinked and focused on a duo of hunters on horseback. Then he felt confused on why they ghost hadn’t warned him, but then recalled what his father had said the prior day about the sun. Maybe it prevented them from appearing.

“Verras, you _idiot_! I told you it wasn’t dead.” The hunter with the spooked mount slowly backed his horse up.

“Well, it looked dead.” The second flinched when the dragon suddenly snorted. “I just figured it was a baby who got separated from the momma dragon and died.”

“You really are an idiot.” The first pointed at the dried blood on the rock. “Pretty sure it ate something.”

“Or maybe it got hurt.”

Joseph stared at the two in disbelief. He could easily eat them and yet they were standing there, having a conversation and ignoring him. Though, he supposed that he looked smaller with his body half hidden. Finally, he stood up and stretched with a deep rumble in his chest, prompting the two hunters to back up a great deal more.

“I’m not so convinced that’s a baby, now.” The second hunter noted.

“That’s because you have cotton for brains and wanted to poke the damned thing with a stick.”

“…Still do, but I think it might eat me.” He commented as he watched the dragon tuck its wings against its body before slowly climbing down the rock.

“Why am I even friends with you?” The first sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“Because, bitch, I’m adorable. And you like how I cook deer jerky.”

Joseph felt bemused as he watched the two hunters wander away. Honestly, he didn’t know what to think about that. Finally, he picked up the strap of the satchel in his mouth and started off at a trot. He didn’t feel like turning back human and knew he’d cover more ground in this form, anyway. Every now and then, he’d stretch his wings to give them a flap. At the moment, he didn’t think he could do much before lift himself off the ground by half a food.

And honestly? He didn’t try anything more than that thanks to how the sensation caused a spike of fear to lance through him. While heights didn’t bother him, the idea of flying just seemed too much. So, for now, he contented himself with the idea of slowly building up the strength of his wings. Once he could fully extend them, then he’d entertain the idea of his first flight.

By evening, he spotted a village in the distance. Decidedly, it’d be better to go poking around in the morning. So, with some reluctance, he changed back human, dressed, and built himself a small campfire. It was smarter to act like a human while being around humans, and it’d raise plenty of questions if someone found him eating his rabbit raw.

If he was honest with himself, he didn’t feel thrilled with the idea of going into the village, just from how the people at Murval had treated him. Then again, it was also a village he’d never seen before so…For all he knew? They might be friendly. He supposed that he’d just have to find out in the morning.


	5. Strangers Need Not Apply

Joseph woke up feeling stiff from the rock he’d apparently slept on during the night. Something that annoyed him to no end since he’d made sure to clean where he planned on sleeping. Still, he felt reluctant to get up and lazily nuzzled against his arm, then wrinkled his nose at the scruff he felt. At some point, he needed to shave…Well, maybe. He always wanted to grow something out, but his father usually grumbled at him till he shaved it off. And…So, he was going to see if he could grow something. No one could really tell him not to, now could they?

After a bit longer, he finally got up and worked on burying the remains of the fire in between bites of food. Then, he dusted himself off, packed up the rest of his things, and started for the village. The outskirts, painfully, reminded him of Murval. Different pastures held crops or livestock, and in the pastures some of the villagers had already set to work, tending or harvesting as needed. He continued into the village where he looked for what might serve as the market.

Considering how small the village seemed, he didn’t know if he’d even find one. Some of the smaller ones tended to be communal when it came to farming: the food was stored in a localized spot and everyone owned the livestock. Any excess was hauled to a larger town or city to be traded off for supplies or sold for coin. While odd to him, it seemed to work for some places.

He tried to ignore the stares or how people shooed the children inside their homes. Joseph didn’t know if it was from his height or his eyes or both. When he reached the village center, he took a good look around and noted the distinct lack of a market. Between that and the subtle tension that hung in the air? Moving on would likely be the best idea.

“What do you want?” The male voice from behind him was tense and curt.

Joseph turned around to face the man who held some sort of walking stick. Behind him, people had gathered and all wielded different farming tools. He’d always imagined such scenarios were that of fantasy, but then again, a pitchfork could probably do some damage with a well-placed jab. He spoke quietly, “I was only interested in supplies.”

“Well, you’ll fine none here. Now get out.”

Normally, his father would have already been dragging him away to avoid a confrontation, but Joseph’s belligerent streak had reared its head. “Why? I’ve done nothing wrong.”

The villager tightened his grip on his walking stick. “We don’t like _your_ kind around here.”

A muscle twitched in Joseph’s jaw, but he pushed down his temper, for the moment. As temperamental as he could be, he was also a planner. He raised an eyebrow and took a step forward. “My kind? Oh, please good sir…Tell me. What is ‘my kind’?”

“Ah…” The villager glanced away, unsure of what to reply with. He only knew the man in front of him wasn’t human, but he didn’t really know what he might be. Too many different things lurked out in the wilds and stating the wrong race could easily as dangerous or more so than confronting one.

Joseph slowly stalked forward, his moments predatory. Already, a plan had sprung to mind, something he’d wanted to do to one of the townsfolk at Murval, but never had the chance. He stopped in front of the other man and glared down at him. “You should be more careful with your words, little human.” His voice came out as a low growl and then he grinned slightly, scenting the fear from the villager. “May your crops wither and turn to dust. May the milk of your animals be sour and their young weak. May your kinsmen turn their backs on you as you did me. If you’re lucky, maybe your so called ‘gods’ will take pity on you.”

A horrified expression formed on the villager’s face as Joseph spoke. Once he finished, he simply took a step back, turned around, and continued walking through the village. Behind him, he heard hushed whispering, but no one dared follow him. Either way, it left him with a smug sense of satisfaction. Then, he heard the raspy sound of his father’s voice in his ear.

“ _You realize they’ll likely lynch him, Joseph._ ”

“I’m aware. Maybe he shouldn’t have been such an asshole.” He adjusted the strap on the satchel and glanced towards a pasture when a cow bellowed loudly.

An exasperated sigh came from beside him. “ _I taught you better than this._ ”

“You did, but I got tired of superstitious people who treat me like shit a long time ago. You realize all those fights I got into were because the other children saw me as different? Did you know their parents did nothing and turned a blind eye to them throwing stones?” Joseph scoffed. “I tried your method, Father, of talking them down and playing the pacifist. It didn’t work, it just made them think I was weak. So, once I started talking with my fists, then they got the message.”

“ _Why didn’t you tell me?_ ”

“What were you going to do? ‘You shouldn’t hit people, Joseph’, ‘You should be the better person, Joseph’, blah blah blah. It didn’t work! You damn well know the townsfolk didn’t like me and thought Mother had made some deal with a forest spirit. They claim that’s why she died after I turned twelve.” He shook his head at the silence. “Whatever. You and the townsfolk can apparently talk to each other in some fashion. Go gripe at them and leave me alone.”

He didn’t feel surprised when he didn’t get a reply. Sure, now that he thought about it, he felt a bit bad for snapping at his father…But the past few days had been beyond stressful. For a moment, he wondered if some of it was from some nature deity being angry for him not showing the proper respect during his hunts. Joseph discounted the idea. Nature gods acted through just that: nature. They weaved their magic and brought droughts, floods, or locusts. No, they didn’t control the hand of man; they could only influence it.

So, Joseph continued traveling and made his way to the next village in hopes of procuring supplies. It would have been great to claim the first village was an exception…Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. Joseph received a similar welcome from many of the places he traveled through. One town outright attacked him. Too bad for them, he was in a bad mood from being tired and hungry.

His supplies were running low, and while capable of hunting for himself, he really didn’t want to have to make a detour from his travels every time his stomach rumbled. So, he trudged into the town in hopes of finding a butcher willing to sell to him. Unsurprisingly, the residents stared at him. He ignored this and simply hoped that it wouldn’t turn to hostility.

“Look. I have the money to pay for it.” He showed the butcher the coins in his hand, but was met with disdain.

“I’m well aware of the trickery Fae do. I’ll have none of it.”

“I…Fae? Seriously? I’m not a damn Fae. Even if I was, do you think I’d be so obvious with trickery? All I want to do is buy the meat and leave.” Finally, he just sighed and shook his head. “Fine, keep your meat.”

He dropped the coins back into the pouch and stuffed it into the satchel as he stepped out of the butcher’s shop. A group of four men stood outside the shop and none of them had a friendly expression. He made an annoyed noise. “I get it. I get it. I’m leaving.”

Joseph only made it a few feet before the first rock hit him square in the back. He could deal with the insults and glares, but when it turned physical? That was another matter entirely. He paused and then turned around. “I already said I was leaving.”

Rather than getting a response, he had to duck another rock. This time, he growled and let his things slip off of his shoulder to drop to the ground. “If you’re so eager for violence, why don’t you get over here and fight like a man instead of throwing rocks like a child.”

To his surprise all four of them approached him, fists up. Joseph ducked the first few blows and landed a few of his own; rather than going for faces, he went for the ribs. One man let out a sharp noise of pain and stumbled backwards, holding his side. Joseph grinned, but the action was short lasting when a fist caused his head to snap to the side. He spat out blood before returning the punch. The man crumpled to the ground, out cold.

The remaining two exchanged glances and bolted, leaving Joseph to spit out another glob of bloody spit. He grabbed his things and continued onwards. That night, he hunted as a dragon…Or tried to. Though he found indications of deer, he couldn’t find the herd and simply had to assume that they’d already moved on. Finally, he had to satisfy his hunger with a few rabbits he managed to kill.

Joseph woke up to the sound of thunder, and he squinted at the sky above him before quickly gathering his things. The clouds above were dark and seemed angry, suggesting that the storm brewing would be hellacious. Frankly, t idea of being caught out in a thunderstorm didn’t sound appealing and so he hurried along in hopes of reaching the next town before the storm.

Joseph didn’t. When he reached the town, he was soaked, a bit muddy, and chilled. Thankfully, the place had a tavern with lodging and he hoped that he’d be able to get a room. The idea of a warm bath and a semi soft bed sounded beyond heavenly. However, he didn’t get his hopes up due to how he’d been treated thus far.

The owner initially refused to offer him anything. However, after a thorough berating from his wife, the man reluctantly allowed him to sleep in front of the fireplace in the commons and offered him a lukewarm bowl of stew. Joseph didn’t complain. It was better than being out in the storm. Quietly, he sighed and laid down in front of the fire. At least Kovis wasn’t much further. Perhaps it’d be better to travel the rest of the way as a dragon. He’d certainly get there a great deal faster.

Morning came far to early in the form of a kick to the side. Joseph instinctively snarled and rolled over to glare at the perpetrator. The tavern owner gave him a wide-eyed stare in return, but then gestured at the door. Sighing, he sat up and rubbed his face in an attempt to wake himself up. Apparently, the kick was his cue to leave. So, he quietly gathered his things and walked out of the tavern without breakfast. The morning light caused him to squint for a few moments before his eyes adjusted. Already, Joseph could feel the stares from the people around him, and so he simply moved on.

Once he’d gotten far enough away from the town, he shifted. As he picked up his satchel in his mouth, he decided that he really needed to come up with a better way of carrying his things. Eventually, the leather would rot thanks to the near daily exposure to his mouth. Plus, he couldn’t help but play with the strap with his tongue.

By mid-morning, his stomach grumbled angrily prompting him to stash the satchel and go on a hunt. The animals he hunted now were no longer the slim deer of the forests. He hunted elk and moose, creatures capable of causing serious damage if he wasn’t careful.

Quietly, he laid in the grass and watched a young moose bull graze in the shallows of a river. If he could strike while the animal’s head was submerged, he’d have a very good chance of a successful hunt. The sheer size of the thing would mean a full belly. Finally, he began creeping forward each time the bull lowered his head and laid down when he lifted it.

It took time, but he eventually got within striking range. Impatiently, he waited as the bull took his sweet time in looking around before finally lowering his head back down. Joseph lunged forward and leapt onto the bull moose’s back. The sudden, extra weight caused the moose to collapse and bellow in surprise, which quickly turned into a sound of pain as claws and teeth sunk into his flesh.

With a bit more work, Joseph ripped the moose’s throat out and quickly downed the meat as the animal rapidly bled out under him. When it collapsed, he stood up, grabbed it by the throat, and began dragging it back to where he’d set up his ‘camp’ in a small grove of trees. There, he started digging into his meal, greedily eating.

The sound of a twig snapping caught his attention and he looked up. A cursory glance around didn’t reveal the source of the sound, but when he scented the air, he caught a hint of human. He doubted that whoever it was would be brave enough to bother him. Only a fool would tangle with a predator of his size, and most people who ventured into the forests tended to have most of their brain.

So, he resumed eating again. Joseph felt the impact in his side a millisecond before he felt the pain. Then a second pain in his neck. Arrows. Snarling, he charged in the general direction that the arrows had come from, then spun around on his hind legs, snorting when he heard someone running.

The hint of vivid blue was the only thing he needed to lock onto his new quarry. He stalked after them, still moving on his hind legs, even as they ran towards the grasslands. Once out into the open, he got a good look at his attacker: a young man, likely no older than him.

There were rules when it came to hunting: never loosen your bow unless you’re certain it’s a killing shot…Especially when hunting large quarry or predators. In their pain, they often will attack. This young hunter had clearly forgotten this lesson. Reaching under himself, Joseph pulled the arrow out of his side, then did the same to the arrow in his neck. With the arrows removed, both injuries began mending.

Sure, the hunter had a head start, but he was faster. He leapt forward and gave chase, like a hound after a rabbit. In front of him, he heard the young man yelling. A part of him knew that the man could be part of a group and had been sent out to get lunch, and Joseph _knew_ he could be running right into a hunter’s camp…But he didn’t particularly care.

Joseph was capable of being both quadrupedal and bipedal. He preferred being on all fours since it was better for endurance running, but when he really wanted to catch something? Bipedal is what he wanted. If anything, it made him more terrifying. Less a dragon and more an ancient beast of yore that roamed before humans and elves and all the others came to be.

He caught up with his quarry quickly. His jaws snapped closed around the young hunter’s torso, prompting the young man to scream in his ear. Without letting go, he hooked his claws into the ribcage and pulled. The upper half of his torso landed on the ground while the lower part remained in Joseph’s mouth…Which quickly disappeared down his throat. Then, he grabbed the rest of the hunter and crunched him down. Only then did three more hunters crest the hill.

One of them, apparently, recognized the bow on the ground, and notched an arrow in his own bow…Only for his companion to yank it out of his hands. He wasn’t very happy with this action. “It killed Isaiah!”

“And what makes you think it won’t do the same to us if you shoot it?” He glanced at the growl that came from the dragon as it moved to all fours and lowered its head in a blatantly aggressive move. “Besides. Look at the blood on its neck. What do you want to bet your boy shot it and it got pissed?”

The third man chose to speak up. “It looks young, too. What’s to say its mother isn’t around? If we _do_ manage to kill it, we could end up with a bigger problem on our hands.”

Finally, the first hunter sighed and nodded his head. “You’re right.”

Joseph watched the three slowly back away for a moment before he turned and trotted back to where he’d left his kill. Besides a fox who quickly darted away, his kill remained unbothered and he laid back down to pick at his meal. Honestly, he hadn’t intended to eat the young hunter, it’d just…Happened. Interestingly enough, he couldn’t deny that he hadn’t minded the taste. Still, best not to get into the habit. Predators who ate humans tended to get bounties on their heads, something he really wanted to avoid.

After finishing his meal, he dug a shallow pit a short distance away and laid down for a nap. It probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do with a camp of three hunters nearby, but he didn’t think they’d bother him…Then again, he’d thought the same about the young hunter he killed. Still, the three _also_ knew he meant business.

When Joseph woke up, he sleepily stretched and couldn’t help but flop around a bit. He felt comfortable and honestly didn’t feel like getting up just yet. On the other hand, he was getting close to Kovis and felt that he could reach the city around nightfall if he pushed himself. Finally, he climbed to his feet, got a quick few bites from the moose, gathered his things, and started off at a quick trot.

He began doubting the idea of ‘around nightfall’ when he saw he’d slept till midafternoon. Perhaps ‘sometime after dark’, would be a better idea. Either way, as long as the weather was decent, he could simply camp outside a final time before going supply hunting in Kovis…This assumed that he’d actually be welcome in the city. The string of bad luck with the different villages and towns caused him to worry about how he’d be received in Kovis. Plus, he’d never been to a large city and really didn’t know what to expect beyond ‘a lot of people’. His father had been to cities in the past and claimed that races of all sorts mingled. He supposed that he’d just have to see when he got there.

The grasslands eventually shifted to something rockier, but it didn’t slow him down. If anything, he enjoyed jumping from rock to rock. Every now and then, he’d attempt to glide, but his ‘flights’ were often short lived and resulted in his back aching. Still, he tried to have fun with it, since it kept his mind off of how all the traveling had started to make him feel sore and all the negative events of the past week or so.

Joseph finally arrived at the outskirts of Kovis long after dark. From his vantage point on top of a rock, the place looked impressive and lit up. Quietly, he weighed the option of approaching the city versus camping a final night. The problem with the first idea was that it was late and he’d have to travel on foot the rest of the way…Plus he was tired. Finally, he dropped the satchel on the rock and laid down. He honestly felt hungry, but didn’t think he’d have any luck hunting unless he went after livestock, something he didn’t want to do. Quietly, he watched the city and wondered what he’d encounter in the morning.


	6. Country Boy in the Big City

The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when Joseph’s stomach gave an angry gurgle and woke him up. Looking back, the idea of skipping hunting had been a bad idea, especially since he might have been able to catch something considerably bigger than the rodent creatures that skittered around the rocks. He had attempted to catch them, but unfortunately, they were too small and too fast for him to catch as a dragon. So, he simply turned back human, dressed, and made his way to Kovis.

When he passed through the city gates, the guards barely acknowledged him and instead simply seemed sleepy. As he continued further into the city, he quickly discovered that the city had already woken up…And he wasn’t sure if it’d even gone to sleep. Around him, merchants called out their wares, insisting they had better prices than some other merchant in a different part of the city. Countless smells assaulted his senses, some of which he’d never smelled before. Not to mention, the number of people who’d already appeared to do their morning shopping.

All and all, he felt overwhelmed. A part of him wanted to flee back to the wilds, but the rest of him stubbornly demanded that he push on and explore. Joseph clutched the strap to the satchel, the quiver strap, and his bow tightly as he moved through the crowd. Beyond a few glances, he went largely ignored. Eventually, he found a tavern with lodgings and hesitantly went inside. The owner barely glanced at him while he worked on restocking the bar.

“How much does a room cost per day?”

The owner shifted his attention fully to the younger man. “200.”

“…Ah.” Well, there went that idea and it immediately made Joseph wonder if there were any cheaper taverns in the city. He very well couldn’t spend nearly all his money on a single day’s lodging! “Thank you…”

“If you think my prices are too high, you won’t find much luck. I’m the cheapest in the city.”

Joseph sighed, unsure of if he should trust the man’s words or not. “Well, that’s nearly all I have and I can’t spend it all on a place to stay when I still need supplies.”

“If you followed the road from the south, I’m surprised you didn’t get supplies from the villages. Would have been cheaper.” He turned and resumed stocking the bar.

“Got tired of rocks being thrown at me.” Sighing, Joseph sat down on the stool and tried to figure out where to go. Suddenly, the owner had leaned over the bar to peer at him with vividly blue eyes, prompting him to rear back in surprise.

“Oh. Ya. The eyes. I got’cha.” He grinned suddenly at the other man’s confused expression and lifted the side of the cloth he’d wrapped around his head to show somewhat pointed ears amidst dirty blond hair. “Momma had a raunchy fling with an elf. I was born here in the city, but I know how those villagers down south can be. Get plenty of stares when they come up here to do trading.”

Joseph nodded slightly. “Grew up near a small town. They…Weren’t too welcoming.”

“Which one?”

After a moment of hesitation, he finally answered. “Merval.”

The name caused the tavern owner to wince while he readjusted the cloth that covered his hair and ears. “Ah…You’ve been on the road for awhile it looks like. Did…You hear about the attack?”

“I saw it after the fact.” Joseph sighed and looked down. It was a bit of a lie, but he didn’t think it’d be smart to say he’d been there when it happened and survived. “My father left in the morning about a week ago to get supplies. He didn’t return. So, I went looking for him the next day and found the town. I…Don’t know what happened but the town was destroyed and I didn’t find any bodies.”

He grimaced. “I don’t know much ‘bout magic. That’s more my daddy’s thing, but I can sure as shit tell you that it’s nothing good…So…Then what? You headed north to Kovis?”

“Pretty much. Don’t have any other family.”

Finally, the half-elf sighed. “Alright. Look. Normally I don’t do this sorta thing, but you’re kinda looking like a kicked puppy right now and I kinda like puppies so…Tell you what. I’ll let you have a room and keep you fed _if_ you help around the tavern. Most people won’t give a shit about whatever you are. I don’t really tolerate the people who would…For obvious reasons. Soooo…If they start causing trouble, you get to kick them out.”

Joseph blinked a few times in surprised but then side eyed the other man. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch.” He held up his hands. “Swear on my momma’s grave. How about I get you some food to show I’m serious?”

After a moment longer, he nodded. “I didn’t get to have dinner last night…Or breakfast this morning.”

“Then you’re in luck. Today’s special is eggs, a big ass slice of ham, and a bowl of porridge.” He headed towards the kitchen but paused at the door. “Before I forget. I’m Xavier. What’s your name?”

“Joseph…And…Thank you.”

Xavier suddenly looked solemn. “I’ve never experienced the level of loss you have, and I’m sure the people at Merval were probably shitty towards you, but they were also probably all you knew, am I right?” At the nod he was given, he continued. “Now I don’t know if you are one or not, so I don’t mean to offend, but I do know how shitty people can be to halfbreds, or hell. Anyone different than them. So…As much of an asshole as I can be sometimes, I’m not going to be one to someone down on his luck like you are. Anyway. Give me ten or fifteen minutes and I’ll get some food out to you.”

Joseph tilted his head slightly, “Thank you.” Then he sighed and rubbed his face as he tried to tune out the sound of quiet conversation in the kitchen. A short time later, he looked up when a gaunt, almost sickly-looking older man stepped out of the kitchen with food. Immediately, he wrinkled his nose a bit at the sudden smell of something old and musty…Mildew, almost.

“Xavier went down to the cellar to get more spirits for the bar.” He set the food down, and ignored the blatant stare he received as he leaned down to grab a bottle off the bottom shelf.

Immediately, he’d picked up that the other man wasn’t human, but he couldn’t tell _what_. Joseph knew that staring was rude, but it was out of sheer curiosity. When they locked eyes, he couldn’t help but feel even more confused. Did the man even have pupils? Rather than be insulted or offended, the older man simply seemed amused.

Finally, Joseph couldn’t help but blurt out, “You smell weird.”

This netted him a sharp glare from Xavier who’d returned from the cellar. Immediately, the half-elf opened his mouth to let out something snarky, but he was quickly interrupted by the older man who put a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down, Xavier. I don’t think he meant it that way.”

Shifting his attention back to the young man at the bar. “So, you have a good sense of smell, hm? What do I smell like then?”

“…Something old and musty. Reminds me of winter clothes that’s been in storage all year.”

“Charlie, you’re a lot more patient than I am.” Xavier grumped and crouched down to continue stocking shelves. Then he vaguely gestured at the bar behind him. “That’s Joseph, by the way.”

“I’m also many years your senior.” Charlie noted before looking back to Joseph. “You’ll excuse him. He can be rash at times. Well, Joseph, you wouldn’t be wrong. I’m guessing you have no idea what I am, then?”

“No, I don’t.” Slowly, he pulled his food towards him.

“Simply put, I’m a vampire. I work here as a cook and live down in the cellar.” Charlie pushed the mug over to Joseph.

“Ain’t that funny? Guy can’t taste a damn thing, but he’s the best damn cook I’ve ever met.” One of the bottles clinked loudly, causing Xavier to mutter a curse.

“So, is that why you look half dead…Because you _are_ dead?”

“Pretty much. You don’t have to worry about me wanting to drink your blood. The only thing I’m dangerous to is rats. Never had an interest in drinking human blood. Unfortunately, I can’t go out during the day because of that.” He poured himself a mug and gave Joseph an amused smile at the look of confusion. “Ask your questions, I don’t mind.”

Joseph considered his questions as he shoved the fried eggs into his mouth. “I thought vampires couldn’t go into the sun.”

“Yes and no. That tends to be an issue younger vampires have. Vampires get stronger as they age, and as long as they feed on human blood, they can move around during the day. Here’s one for you. Many, many decades ago, I was the cook on a pirate ship ran exclusively by vampires. In fact, the captain shared your first name. Captain Joseph Finnly. Bit of a bastard at times, but he knew how to keep his ship running. I think he captained The Red Leviathan for damn near three hundred years till she was finally sunk. Not sure what happened to him.” Finally, Charlie waved his hand dismissively. “But you don’t want to listen to an old man reminisce about the past.”

This caused Joseph to crack a slight smile. “I might, actually. It sounds interesting.”

“Oh, gods. Charlie here will talk your ear off.” Xavier stood up and made a noise of protest when he was swatted with a hand towel.

“Maybe if you’d actually listen to me, you’d be running the place instead of me. As it stands, you’re just the pretty face that mans the bar so he can drag people to his room for a qui---”

“Hey! Hey! Low blow!” Xavier interrupted Charlie.

 “…I thought that’s what you do when you get on your knees.” This time, Charlie had to duck the hand towel. Then he just laughed as Xavier ‘chased’ him back into the kitchen.

Joseph could only watch, bemusely, as he ate. Still, he finished quite quickly and as soon as his fork was put down, Xavier dragged him upstairs to his assigned room. Things were quickly pointed out to him and then he was dragged back downstairs, then shooed into the small back yard to chop wood for the fireplaces. While monotonous, he found it fairly easy. He’d done it for years ever since he’d grown big enough to pick up the axe.

With the backyard area being in the sun, he quickly shed his shirt and kept working. Every now and then, he’d pause to stack when he’d chopped before resuming his work. A sharp whistle caught his attention and he looked up at Xavier who wandered over to offer him a mug of water.

“You know. I didn’t say you had to chop _all_ the wood.” He eyed the significantly smaller pile of logs.

“I don’t really have anything better to do.” Joseph replied before taking a drink. When he lowered the mug, he frowned at the half-elf whose attention had shifted to him.

Xavier didn’t bother to hide his staring. “So, I’m guessing…Farmer’s son?”

“No. My father was a hunter. Once he got too old to hunt, I took over.” He finished off the water and handed the mug back.

“Ah. I’m guessing you’re good with your hands, then?”

“I suppose. Cutting yourself while butchering a deer really isn’t the greatest thing.” Joseph was absolutely oblivious to the blatant flirting. “Once I finish chopping the wood, what do you want me to do next?”

Xavier glanced down at the empty mug, then eyed the younger man again before making an exasperated noise. “Gods! You really _are_ a lost puppy. Uh, look. Just head back to your room, get cleaned up, and rest. You’ve just about chopped a weeks’ worth of wood in two hours.”

Joseph simply watched the half-elf head back into the tavern before shaking his head and continuing to chop the wood. After he finished chopping the logs, he carefully stacked the wood and gave his work a pleased look. Sure, he felt sore, but in a way, it felt good. For the time being, he had a roof over his head and the promise of food. It’d give him a way to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.

As he made his way into the tavern, he gave a cursory glance to the few patrons and the barmaid serving them. He couldn’t scent anything unusual about her and assumed she was the only human that worked at the tavern.  Joseph didn’t dwell on the thought for long and instead went upstairs to his room after snagging a bowl of stew that Xavier wordlessly handed him.

On his bed, he found a handful of coins and a note that told him to get some new clothes. He agreed with the idea and decided to do so after a bath and a nap. The hot water felt good when he sunk down into it and he couldn’t help but make a quiet rumble of contentment. He sat there in the tub for a few minutes and fought the idea of napping right then and there. As tempting as it was to nap in the hot water, the idea of waking up in cold water didn’t sound appealing.

Finally, he coerced himself to get cleaned up. Before draining the water, he dunked his clothes in the water to try and freshen them up a bit. Then, he wrung them and hung them up to dry before wrapping the towel around his waist. When he stepped out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, he sent Xavier an unimpressed look.

Xavier merely returned the stare with a cheeky grin. “I talked things over with Charlie and he didn’t think I’d left enough money. So…” He held up a small bag of coins and set them on the table. “Finding everything alright?”

Rather than replying, Joseph just tilted his head towards the door. While he wasn’t ashamed of his body in any shape or form, he didn’t like the idea of people just walking into his room. It annoyed him that despite him locking the door, Xavier obviously had a key. After the half-elf had left, he relocked the door and shoved a chair under the handle as an afterthought. He really, really didn’t want someone wandering in and poking at him while he slept.

While the bed wasn’t as soft as his former one, it sure as hell beat sleeping on the ground. Lazily, he stretched out and wiggled around a bit to get himself comfortable, then stared at the wall till he finally dozed off. His sleep was dreamless, and when he woke, he felt a great deal more rested…But absolutely reluctant to get up out of bed. Still, he needed new clothes and probably some new boots.

After a bit of flopping around in the bed, he got up, dressed, grabbed the money, and left the tavern. Even if he didn’t find what he was looking for, he figured that it’d be good to explore the city. The crowds hadn’t thinned any and he often found himself squeezing past people as they haggled with the merchants. Overall, he didn’t exactly mind it. Sure, it was different but he also enjoyed the notion of no one caring about his appearance. To them, he was just another face in the crowd.

Joseph eventually found the tailor and browsed the pre-made clothes. Surprisingly, he found a few affordable shirts and pants that’d fit him. After paying for his things, he politely requested directions to whoever would sell him a pair of boots. Then, he set off to the shoemaker, who happened to be an implike creature.

Upon entering the shop, Krin as the sign had identified him as, stared up at Joseph with wide eyes. “Well, aren’t you a massive cuss. If you’re looking for shoes, I can already tell you that they’ll need to be custom made.”

Joseph winced. “Yes, I’m used to that.” He sat down and pulled his boot off to hand it over to Krin.

“Hmn. Any spots that rub, pinch, or otherwise cause discomfort?” The headshake caused Krin to give a curt nod while he took measurements and wrote the numbers down in illegible handwriting. “It’ll take me a few days. 300 coins. Half upfront, rest due at pickup. My shoes are quality and are guaranteed to hold up to even the most adventurous traveler.”

After looking down at the worn boot still on his foot, Joseph nodded and dug out the coins to slide them over to the shoemaker. The coins were quickly examined before being pocketed. Then, he was handed a slip of paper and a pen.

“Sign at the bottom.” When the paper was handed bad, Krin tore a segment off and handed it back. “If my assistant is here at the front, just present that to her when you come back to pick up.”

Joseph nodded. “Thank you.”

He was only given a grunt in reply. After putting his boot back on, he wandered out of the shop and continued his wanderings. Eventually, he stumbled across a butcher and went inside in hopes of discovering more of the jerky he enjoyed in Merval.

“I’m not sure if you can help me, since it might have been a family recipe, but I’m wondering if you carry a certain flavor of jerky.”

“Well, if you can describe the flavor.” The butcher leaned against the counter and gestured at the selection of jerky on display. “I have a number of different flavors, along with several imports.”

Joseph glanced towards where she’d gestured for a moment before looking back. “It tasted sweet and salty, with spices.”

“Mm. ‘Sweet’ helps narrow it down.” She pushed away from the counter and went to the jerkies where she began pulling out several bins. “The good thing with jerky is it tends to be distinctive with the smells. Even if it _was_ a family recipe, I might have something similar.”

One by one, he smelled of what she offered before finally finding one that smelled nearly exactly like what Aubin used to make. “That one. That one right there is almost exactly it.”

“Ah, that’s a good one. The sweetness comes from the ungodly amount of honey used.” She returned the other bins to the shelves. “Goes good with just amount any meat. Beef, deer, elk, moose, even some of the more exotic meats. Hmn. Are you new to the city? I’m familiar with all the usuals, but I’ve never seen you here.”

Joseph nodded. “I got here this morning. I got myself a job working at Xavier’s.”

“Xavier’s…Oh! You mean Charlies’. Xavier just likes to claim he owns the place. Charlie actually does, but he’s too nice to say otherwise.” She gave a slight smile. “He’s been a longtime customer. Been coming here since before my dad was even born. Nice man. You couldn’t have a better boss to work under. Now. My dad would probably kill me if I did this, but he’s out of town. So…Usual rate for this jerky is 75 a pound, but this batch was made with moose and I have about 50 pounds of the stuff marinating in the back. Meaning, I’ll cut you a deal of 50 per pound.”

He grinned. “I’ll take three then. I appreciate the deal.”

“Don’t worry about it. Charlie has an eye for people.” She quickly weighed and bagged the jerky. “By the way, I’m Adrine. If you see a grumpy old man, that’s my dad, Jivan.”

“I’m Joseph.” He pushed the coins over the Adrine and took the back of jerky happily.

“Well, it was nice to meet you, Joseph, and I hope you’ll come back to Jandhu’s.”

Still grinning like a fool, he gave a nod and left the shop to return back to the tavern. There, the place was a great deal more crowded and before he had a chance to go to his room, Xavier dragged him into the kitchen. Charlie worked on cooking something while the woman from earlier grabbed empty mugs off the counter.

She took one look at Joseph and rolled her eyes. “Charlie! We don’t need you adopting anymore strays!”

“Joseph, this is Senara.” Charlie looked to Senara. “You keep complaining about a few of the drunks hassling you and we all know they don’t take Xavier seriously. So…”

Senara looked up at Joseph who’d clearly be the tallest person out in the main part of the tavern. “I wouldn’t mind seeing a few of the fuckers fly out the door. Alright, fine. Tell you what. Put your things up and come back down here. There’s a guy at the bar with a green shirt. He keeps grabbing my ass. Either throw him out or get him to leave me alone. I don’t care what you do.”

He considered it for a moment and gave a sharp smile. “I can handle that.”

She watched him leave and then looked back to Charlie. “You know. That was the scariest damn smile I’ve ever seen someone pull and you know I dated a lycan for awhile who had a terrifying smile…”

After putting his things up, Joseph returned to the common area of the tavern and sat down next to the man that Senara had pointed point. “Heard you’ve been grabbing Senara’s ass.”

“Heh. Yeah. She’s got a nice one.” The man slurred out with a laugh.

“Maybe, but you’re going to leave her alone.”

“What do you care?” This time, his voice had a belligerent tone to it.

Joseph reached out and turned the man to face him, then leaned down so that their faces were only inches apart. He spoke in a low tone with an edge of a growl to his voice. “Because if you don’t…Well, your face looks pretty fucking tasty and I’m getting kinda hungry. Know what I mean?”

The drunk flinched when he heard the sound of the other man snapping his jaws shut, like some sort of predator. While alcohol could result in a great deal of idiotic bravado, a really solid look the the man in front of him caused any notion of starting a fight to wither away. “Okay, yeah. I’ll stop. Promise.”

“I don’t want to talk to you a second time.” He got up from the bar and wandered back towards the back, giving Senara a slight nod as he passed her. Once in the kitchen, he frowned a bit at Charlie. “Is it normal for people to be bothering Senara?”

“Not usually, but there’s a couple ships up at the port and the crew are on leave. Most times, they stay around the bars up there, but sometimes they’ll wander down here after they’ve been kicked out.” He handed Joseph a bowl of fried bread drizzled with cheese. “Just hang back here for now. I told Senara that you’d be here and to come get you if anyone bothers her. She can handle herself just fine, but I don’t want to have to bail her out of jail if she stabs someone. Again.”

Curiously, he took the food and began quietly eating as he listened to Charlie. “That sounds like an interesting story.”

“It was just a mess. I’ll tell you some other time.”

The rest of the evening ended up being fairly boring. Apparently, word had quickly gotten around about a ‘big ass guy who said he was going to eat Mathi’s face’. While Charlie didn’t exactly approve, he agreed that it’d been quite effective. In the end, it netted Joseph a bit of money and a mug of ale, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

When he finally retired to his room, he found himself surprised to see his father waiting for him. Stefan offered a twisted expression that was his form of a smile. Then, he spoke softly. “You’re doing well, Joseph. While I don’t exactly approve of some of the things you’ve done, I also know there’s little I can do to stop you.”

“Well, I’m not exactly in Murval, anymore.”

“I know.” Stefan sighed quietly and looked down at his hands. “Just…Do what you feel is right with your life. That’s the last bit of advice I can offer you.”

“What do you mean?” Concerned, Joseph looked up from where he sat on the bed.

“The order that you consume us in is random.” Finally, he held up his hands which were slowly fading. “I wanted to say good-bye.”

Joseph went wide eyed. “I…No. You can’t. Please no.”

“There’s nothing anyone can do.” Stefan dropped his hands and looked down at the floor. “I’ve accepted it. You’ll need to as well, in time. I think the people you’ve found at this tavern will take care of you.”

“Father…” His words cut short as the ghost in front of him abruptly wisped away, leaving him alone in the room.


	7. A Bumpy Start

Joseph didn’t sleep well that night and spent most of it awake. His mind churned over all the shitty things he’d said or done to his father over the years and he just felt overwhelmingly guilty for all of it. For a short while, he sat by the window and quietly watched the city. Despite it being late at night, people still wandered the streets and everything remained lit up. Something that sharply contrasted with the small towns and villages he was used to. Sure, things were quieter in Kovis than they were earlier that evening, but the idea of the city remaining awake long into the late-night hours felt foreign.

Finally, he managed a few hours of sleep in the early morning hours and when he woke up, he felt numb inside…As if he simply existed with no purpose beyond simply being. He really didn’t want to get up, but his hunger wouldn’t be ignored. A short time later, he dressed in his new clothes and trudged downstairs where Charlie worked on stocking the shelves with bottles of alcohol. The vampire gave him a friendly smile that quickly faded.

“Do you always look so terrible in the mornings?” The sudden spike in the young man’s heart rate and the headshake immediately told Charlie that something was wrong. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Joseph simply sat down at the bar and tried to direct the conversation off of himself. “Where’s Xavier?”

“He went to get elk meat from the butcher so I can do one of my specials for lunch.” Briefly, he disappeared into the kitchen and then returned with food. “Here. Look, I can tell something’s wrong. Do you want to talk about it? You don’t have to worry about me telling anyone, unless you want me to. Unlike Xavier, I’m not a gossiper.”

Joseph couldn’t help but tense up at the question. Honestly, he wanted to talk about things, but he didn’t know if telling the truth about Murval would be a good idea or not. It’d likely lead to questions about himself that he didn’t have the answers to. The sudden squeeze to his shoulder caused him to look over at Charlie who’d sat down next to him.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but does it have to do with losing your father and Murval? Xavier told me what you told him yesterday.”

“I…Yes. I don’t have anyone, now. It’s just gone.” Joseph hunched up a bit and stared down at his food, but didn’t touch it.

“I understand the feeling.” Charlie only smiled at the glare he received. “Mind hearing a story?”

“I guess.”

“As you know, I’m a vampire and unless we’re beheaded or are stuck out into the sun after being starved, we’re essentially immortal. I think I’m close to four hundred now, but I forget. Don’t really care, either. I always had a love for the ocean, but any sailor worth his salt knows that the ocean is a temperamental lover. One day she’ll love you, the next she’ll be spitting mad and try to drown you.” He lightly fiddled with the wedding ring on his finger. “I lived by the ocean with my wife. I lost her after some plague and with her gone? I had nothing left. So, I sold everything and decided to find a ship to work on. That’s where I met Finnly.”

“The pirate captain?” Joseph had started to slowly eat.

“Correct. At that point, I was still human. I didn’t know what he was, didn’t care when I found out. I just wanted something to distract me from my wife’s death. I worked for close to a decade on his ship as a human, one of the few to do so. Eventually, I got sick from something and he offered to turn me before I died from it. I accepted. The crew had become my family.” Charlie smiled a bit. “So, for the next near hundred years, I worked on board his ship. Till a group of pirate hunters finally sunk that fine ship of his. And then…It was just me.”

“But that’s not exactly the same.” He looked over at the vampire with a frown.

“I never said it was, I only said that I understand the feeling of losing everything. I know you only met me yesterday and have no reason to trust me, but I’m more than willing to lend an ear.” Then, he suddenly laughed and looked down at the bar top. “Senara was right when she said I adopt strays. I’m too much of a bleeding heart not to.”

Joseph glanced to the front door of the tavern before looking back to Charlie.

“It’s just us. No one’s staying at the tavern today and we don’t open till noon.”

Finally, everything over the past week came tumbling out. The attack on Murval, how he’d survived, what had happened to him, everything. Joseph finally pushed his plate to the side and buried his face in his hands as he tried to calm his shaky breathing.

“How old are you?” Charlie asked quietly. He figured that Joseph was fairly young, but the scruffy beard made it hard to put an accurate number on him.

“Eighteen, back in the early part of spring.”

He nodded slightly. “Just so I have everything down correctly…You can shapeshift into a dragon, went to Murval with your Father to gather supplies for a trip, the town was attacked but you survived, you ‘consumed’ magic energy and binded the souls of the townsfolk to you by accident, killed the soldiers and their leader, then started out towards Kovis, ended up getting sick and sprouting wings, got the shit treatment from different villages, ended up here, and your Father faded away last night?”

“Yes.”

Charlie sighed and poured himself a drink. “I can see why you look like shit. _I’d_ look like shit if that happened to me. Well, I guess Senara was partially right. She said you reminded her of her lycan ex-boyfriend. Honestly, you kind of scare her a bit, but she’s also familiar with the feralness of lycans. So, I guess she might be picking up on that with you…Or am I entirely wrong?”

“No, you’re right. I…Sometimes just get the need to wander out in the wilds usually as a dragon.” He shifted his weight, somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of talking about such personal matters with someone who was essentially a complete stranger.

“I’ll admit, I don’t have much experience with lycans or feral types in general. With your permission, I’d like to tell both Xavier and Senara, just so everyone’s on the same page and she can give us a heads up on things that she picks up on. That way, there’s no questions if you take off for a week or two to do you things…And so people, namely Xavier, don’t overstep their boundaries and bother you. One of Senara’s biggest grips with her ex was how territorial he could be. Bad trait in humans, perfectly normal for lycans.”

Joseph nodded slightly. “I’m sort of the same. Really didn’t like it when Xavier was in my room yesterday after I’d gotten out of the bath.”

Charlie made an exasperated noise. “Of course, he would. You’re new and different and he wants a taste. I still wonder if he’s actually part elf. Personally, I think his father was an incubus posing as an elf…Else he’s just a slut, but who am I to really judge? Makes him happy, so oh well. Anyway, do I have your permission to tell them?”

“I don’t know. I’ve spent so many years trying to hide. The idea of willingly telling people…”

“It’s alright. Just think about it, Joseph, and let me know what you decide. Now…Tell you what. Why don’t you just get used to the city and settled in? We’ve managed without your help for a few years, and we’ll be fine a while longer. Though, if you don’t mind hanging out in the kitchen during dinnertime…” He smiled. “No one hassled Senara after what you did last night. She might not say it to your face, but she appreciated it.”

“I’m fine with that. Means I get free food.”

“Ah, yes. You’re at the age where you only think with your stomach. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you fed.” He gently nudged Joseph, pleased that the young man seemed to be feeling better. “Just make sure to let me know if I’m not dishing you up enough.”

This caused Joseph to crack a bit of a smile. “That’s why I got put on hunting duty. Father joked that I’d eat enough for a small family on my own. It let me do my own hunting and then catch food for the cabin.”

“So, you’re a good hunter?”

“I like to think so, at least, I’m better then when I’m younger.” He glanced down at a faded scar on his forearm where a buck had attacked him as a young teen. “At least now the mountain cats don’t bother me.”

Charlie followed the young man’s gaze and reached out to carefully adjust his arm to get a better view of the scar. “How’d you get that?”

“I first started being able to change a little after I turned twelve, after my mother died. I didn’t tell my father I could do so and would sneak out into the forest to practice my hunting. I got tired of hunting rabbits and other small things, one day, and decided to take on a buck.” Joseph quirked a smile. “It didn’t go so well. I managed to avoid being gored in the stomach, but he still got my arm. That was fun trying to explain. Wasn’t the last time I got hurt hunting, either.”

“Well, in general, predatory animals end up injured a lot, be it from prey or other predators. What else has happened?”

He gestured at his back. “I have a bunch of scars on my back when I tangled with a pride of mountain cats. The mountains to the southeast of Muval have a couple prides and when they can, they’ll scavenge. They ran across me and a kill and decided to attack me. I won, but…Back was a mess and I had to limp home to get patched up.”

“I’m assuming this all happened when you were younger?” Charlie got up to his feet to begin gathering up the dishes.

“It was. I was smaller back then and a lot dumber when it came to hunting.”

“Just how big are you as a dragon?” After stacking all the dishes up, Charlie resumed his work stocking the shelves.

“Uh. Big? Father never really measured or anything. I’ll put it this way: I can take down a bull moose by myself.” He stood up and grabbed the dishes to take them into the kitchen. “Not really sure if I’ll be able to fly, but I can glide decently.”

“Interesting. Well, you’re still young, so there’s plenty of time.”

Joseph started for the kitchen, but paused at the doorway. “Charlie? You can go ahead and tell them, just not while I’m around. I figure that they’ll listen to you better.”

“I’ll handle it, don’t worry. Why don’t you go explore Kovis today? If you’ve only been around Merval your entire life, you probably haven’t seen the ocean…And it’s my firm belief that everyone should see the ocean at least once in their life.” Charlie grinned a bit. “Of course, I’m biased. Just be back before dark since that’s when the dinnertime crowd starts dragging in. The lunch crowd tends to be a lot calmer since most can’t drink on the job.”

“Will do.” After dumping the dishes in the sink, Joseph briefly went upstairs to grab a bit of money, then left the tavern. He didn’t intend on buying anything, but he also knew that something might catch his eye. While the permanent death of his father weighed heavily on him, the sudden freedom left him floundering a bit as he tried to figure out what to do. As long as he followed the local laws and human decency, he could essentially do whatever he wanted.

So why did he feel so suffocated over the notion?

For the moment, he really just needed to focus on one thing at a time…And the present thing he needed to be ‘worried’ about, was heading to the northern part of the city to see the port. As he walked, he gradually noted more of a salty or fish smell along with the sound of birds squawking incessantly. Then suddenly, he found himself at the port where sailors yelled orders at one another while they dumped last night’s catches onto the docks.

Dotted around the port were numerous types of ships. Small fishing crafts that wouldn’t dare make it beyond the sight of land. Tiny little rowboats barely suitable for checking crab pots. Then the ships capable of cross-ocean travel with their sails neatly tied up. Joseph couldn’t help but gawk as he slowly made his way to the railing. No wonder Charlie had such a love for the ocean…But the idea of being so far from land didn’t appeal to him. So, he settled for simply admiring the view.

Joseph spent the rest of the day wandering the city and learning where everything was at. He even found several parks and gardens, but found himself dissatisfied in how the places set aside for nature felt artificial. While the flower beds and carefully pruned bushes were pleasing to the eye, it felt like a poor mimicry of the beauty of wild nature. Still, it offered a bit of a buffer from the sounds of the city and he enjoyed looking at the exotic plants.

He ended up having a late lunch sold to him by a man who barely spoke any of the common tongue. The food consisted of a spiced meat of questionable origin with cheese and vegetables all wrapped in bread that had been fried. While he wondered where the meat had come from, he couldn’t deny that it tasted good and made a mental note to return sometime for more.

When the sky began to darken, he headed back to the tavern. During his wandering of the city, he’d bought a few personal items and he gave Senara a slight nod as he passed through the commons area to his room. After dumping them off, he went to the kitchen to wait. There, Charlie was in the middle of frying up some sort of meat. “That smells good.”

“It does, doesn’t it? Shame I can’t eat any.” He stirred the chunks and added a bit more alcohol to the pan. “Did you enjoy yourself today?”

“I did. Went to the docks like you recommended and I can see why you fell in love with the ocean. Found a few of the parks and just…Wandered around the city.” He perched on a stool and picked up the mug that had mysteriously appeared next to him.

“Good, good. I told Xavier and Senara about things. Reactions were a bit mixed, if I’m honest. Xavier doesn’t really care and if anything, he’s even more curious about you. Senara wasn’t very happy, but also not very surprised.” He caught the expression of concern that Joseph had. “Don’t worry about her. She had issues with her ex and it left her with a bit of a bad taste in her mouth concerning ferals. It has nothing to do with you. I’m sure she’ll warm up to you in time. Now. Did you eat anything for dinner?”

“I hope you’re right.” Joseph sipped on his drink and found himself surprised at the fruity flavor the beer had. “This is good, and no I haven’t.”

“Ah, I’m glad you like it. There’s a monastery down in the southwest that specializes in fruit beers. They only sell the beer during the spring and there’s usually a waitlist. I _just_ now got my order.” He shook his head in exasperation. “I’m certain that they sit on the majority of the beer to keep prices high, else they just drink most of it themselves.”

“I can’t blame them. This is good.” Just as he put the mug down, he had a plate of food shoved at him. It had the fried chunks of meat with a side of mashed potatoes and then a bread roll of some sort. “By keeping an eye on the crowd, do I end up getting the first plate or something?”

“You’re my taste tester. It’s a new recipe and I need to know if it’s too bland or too spiced.” Patiently, Charlie waited while the younger man sampled the food. The sounds of enjoyment caused him to nod. “Good. I’ve gotten good at cooking without being able to taste the food, but I always worry about the seasoning.”

He poked his head out of the kitchen, “Senara!” Then he began dishing up plates to hand to her when she stepped inside. “Here’s the first round of food. How’s the crowd tonight?”

“I’ll be fucking happy when these sailors leave port. Most of them are pretty decent and tip well, but a couple like playing grab ass and tit.”

Joseph straightened up. “Need me to deal with them?”

Senara glanced at him and sighed. “Actually, yes. It’s the table by the fireplace, with the guy wearing the tricorn. He’s the one who’s doing it and everyone else at the table is cheering him on.”

“Got it.” He took a final bite of his food and slipped off the stool to go into the common area. Immediately, he spotted the table and grabbed a chair that he dragged over to the table. He didn’t bother asking if he could join them, he simply did. The glares from the men went ignored. “Only time I’m going to tell you: leave the barmaid alone.”

“Or what?” The tricorn wearing man didn’t seem impressed.

“Depends on how badly you piss me off. Might just toss you and your buddies out…Might just break your face and _then_ throw you out. Leave her alone, and I leave you alone, got it?” Just from the expressions at the table, Joseph suspected that this wouldn’t go as well as last night’s confrontation.

Tricorn leaned forward in an attempt to be threatening. “How about you go fuck yourself and let us do what we want?”

He pretended to think about it, but then shook his head. “Nah. Get out.”

“You can’t throw us out. We haven’t ate yet.”

“Yes, I can, and I will. So, get out.” Before he could react, the man lunged over the table and knocked him to the floor. He took a few punches to the face before landing one of his own that stunned the man long enough for him to get up. Next to him, one of Tricorn’s buddies started standing up, only for Joseph to punch him, as well. “Sit your fucking ass down!”

The other three went wide eyed at the snarl to his voice. Leaning down, he grabbed the back of Tricorn’s shirt in a hand, hauled him to his feet, and started dragging him towards the tavern door. The other man struggled, but a quick punch to the ribs caused him to stop long enough for Joseph to shove him out the door. Then, he stalked back to the table and slammed his hands down on the table with a growl, then leaned down to glare at the four remaining men. “Now. Are you _shitfucks_ going to behave, or do I gotta keep pushing back my dinner to give you four a really, really bad night?”

“…Nope, we’re good.”

He gave them a final glare before turning and returning to the kitchen. There, Senara giggled madly. “That was the best thing I’ve seen tonight.”

Sighing, Charlie shooed her out of the kitchen with the next round of food and frowned at Joseph before handing him a hand towel. “Clean yourself up. You have a bloody nose.”

Baffled, he touched his nose and blinked a few times at the blood he saw on his fingers. Then he went to the sink to wash his face off. After drying it, he returned to his previous spot on the stool. “Hopefully, he won’t come back.”

“Forget about him. What about you?” Concerned, he moved to examine the younger man’s face but paused when Joseph pulled his head away with a low rumble. “Hurts?”

“No, I don’t like people touching my head. I feel fine.” He picked up his plate and frowned at how his food had gone cold, then sighed and resumed eating. “…Assholes interrupted my dinner…”

“You got punched in the face a few times and you’re concerned about your dinner being cold?” Charlie just made an exasperated noise and went back to cooking. “Well, let me know if you start feeling any pain.”

The rest of the evening went smoothly. In fact, so did the rest of the week. News had quickly spread among the sailors that the tavern had hired a bouncer, one that could shrug off a few good punches to the face. The sailors that visited the tavern opted to be on their best behavior as to not catch the eye of the ‘tall mother fucker that lurked in the kitchen’.

Joseph settled into the routine of things and it took about a week for him to full feel settled into his new home. Despite not really doing anything beyond doing the mean and scary act, he still got paid. Though, once he settled in, he steadily began being assigned more tasks, mostly the things that required heavy lifting. Honestly, he really didn’t mind. Still, as he was prone to do, he felt himself becoming restless and wanting to explore. He brought this up to Charlie who directed him to the northwest.

“There’s a decently sized forest out that way, mostly pines and evergreens, but you’ll probably find some decent elk hunting out that way. Just avoid the oak grove.”

“Why?” Joseph didn’t look up as he doublechecked his satchel. At least with leaving his bow and quiver he’d be able to travel a bit lighter.

“Dryads. Depending on their mood, they can either be playfully mischievous or willfully malicious. As long as you don’t bother their trees you should be fine, but it’s just all around wiser to avoid them.” Charlie wrapped a bit of bread and slipping it into the satchel before the younger man could protest.

“I’ll keep that in mind. At least the grove should stick out with it being oak trees.” Of course, Joseph fully planned to investigate. Telling him _not_ to do something would only encourage him.


	8. The Grove

After leaving Kovis and traveling on foot for about an hour, Joseph found a somewhat secluded spot behind a group of boulders to shift at. For a moment, he eyeballed his wings and them climb on top of one of the rocks so he could dig his claws in. He hesitated for a moment before flapping his wings. Initially, he didn’t do much of anything until he figured out that it was a bit more than a simple up and down motion. Only then did he start getting some form of lift. However, by this point, the muscles in his back had already begun to tire. Either way, he considered it both a learning experience and a nice work out.

He picked up his satchel strap in his mouth and started to the northwest. While he didn’t know, exactly, how far the forest was, he figured that it really wouldn’t matter. The weather didn’t seem all that bad and nothing suggested that a late spring storm would pop up. So, after a short time of traveling he finally broke out into a dead run. With miles upon miles of empty scrubland, there was nothing to stop him.

Joseph could certainly run for long periods of time if he kept a steady pace, but at top speed he could only maintain it for short bursts and he finally had to slow down to something more manageable. Either way, he’d enjoyed being able to really stretch his legs. City life didn’t really allow him to vent the pent-up energy, but Charlie and the others seemed understanding enough. Unfortunately, a part of him worried that it was only because they felt sorry for him. For the time being, he pushed these thoughts out of his mind; he wanted to enjoy himself.

He reached the forest around dusk and after stashing his satchel in a safe spot, went hunting. The yearling stag he found satisfied his hunger and he lazily gnawed on the remains of a leg bone as he searched for a place to sleep. Finally, he settled under a massive tree that was big enough around that three men wouldn’t be able to touch hands. The roots were twisted and gnarled but formed a near perfect spot for him to curl up and sleep. Plus, with how dense the canopy was? He doubted that rain would touch him, if it decided to storm.

Something brushed over the ridge above his right eye, stirring him from his sleep, and he sleepily pulled his head away. Then he heard a woman’s voice speaking, soft and musical. “It’s adorable. I wonder if it wandered down from the mountains?”

A second woman spoke, her voice somewhat squeaky, like tree limbs rubbing together. “Perhaps. It’s large enough to have left the nest.”

“It’s old enough to hunt.” A third spoke as she rolled his hand over and ran a hand along his first finger, down to the claw.

Finally, he yawned and raised his head to stare at three…Honestly, he had no idea what they were. The three women sat next to him, each a similar shade of brown with almost lichen like markings. Their grey hair reminded him of hanging moss and their amber color eyes were somewhat larger than a human’s. Then, he looked around and realized he’d stumbled into the oak grove. Looking back to the women, he figured that these must be the dryads Charlie had mentioned.

The one at his head suddenly scratched under his chin and he couldn’t help but half close his eyes. They really didn’t seem all that bad, but perhaps that’s because they didn’t know he was generally human. He also hadn’t planned on turning human, anyway.

However, his enjoyment of the chin scratches came to a sudden halt when the dryad by his hip suddenly poked between his back legs. Immediately he half sat up and snorted at her while tucking his tail slightly. The dryad that’d examined his hand laughed.

“I don’t think it liked that.”

“He.” The dryad at his hip corrected. “For a dragon, he’s surprisingly calm.”

A fourth dryad materialized as she stepped out of her tree. Much like the first three, her skin was brown but almost seemed to be covered in moss. “That’s because he’s not a typical dragon, you cackling twits. Do you not feel the subtle tug of your magic towards him?”

He pushed himself up into a full sitting position and eyed the dryads as they suddenly focused on him. The fourth dryad seemed to be more knowledgeable, maybe she was older? For the moment, he decided not to do anything since he wasn’t sure where this would lead.

“He’s a magic eater.”

This prompted the three dryads beside him to suddenly scuttle away from him, hissing viciously. He merely tilted his head to the side, feeling confused since he had no intention of eating them in any sense of the word. Unlike the others, the fourth dryad continued walking towards him, a vine formed around her hand and shaped itself into a sword.

“And magic eaters are always shapeshifters. Capable of wearing a human’s face. Why are you here?” She pointed the sword at him.

Decidedly, he’d worn out his welcome. Turning around, he pressed against the tree he’d slept under with the intention of slinking off, back the way he’d come. Instead, he suddenly found vines wrapping around his legs, dragging him back to his prior spot. Just as quickly, the sword had been pressed against his throat.

“Why are you here?”

Finally, he changed back and tried not to focus on the sword still at his throat. “I was curious about the grove, but didn’t realize I’d found it when I was searching for a place to sleep.”

“But why were you seeking out the grove in the first place? To eat the magic here?” She demanded, forcing the now human dragon to press his back against the tree behind him.

“I was curious! I don’t even know how to eat magic!”

After a moment, she lowered her sword. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

Joseph sighed and lightly rubbed his throat to make sure he wasn’t bleeding. “Because I was raised by human parents. I barely know what I am, alright? Look, I get it that I’m not wanted around here. I’ll go, I promise.”

Finally, the sword fell apart into vines and she crouched down in front of him. “I apologize. I protect this grove, or what’s left of it. I worried you were here to kill the last of us.”

“No. I was just curious.” He gave her a wary look as she reached out and brushed his hair away from his face.

“My sisters were correct: you are young. You may stay, for a short while, as long as you don’t harm the oak trees.”

“You know what I am…Or at least, something.” He briefly shifted his weight to brush away the stick he’d been sitting on. “Can you tell me?”

“Perhaps, but what do you have to exchange for the information?”

Joseph’s face went blank. His things were off towards the edge of the forest, but even then? He doubted he had anything worth offering them. After a moment, he slumped his shoulders and shook his head as he looked down. “I’d have to come back another time. I don’t have anything to offer.”

The dryad who’d examined his hand laughed. “He’s young _and_ naïve. It’s honestly adorable.”

He wouldn’t really deny that statement. “Well, I raised basically raised by myself by my Father.”

Somehow, the dryad who’d been at his hip was suddenly crouched next to him, staring at him with wide eyes. “So, you’ve never laid with another?”

“I’m guessing you don’t mean platonically.” He commented, drily. “No, I haven’t. The nearest town saw me as a freak and no one would have me. So, I didn’t bother.”

The elder dryad seemed unimpressed with what her younger sisters were planning. “You three are making all sorts of plans and you haven’t bothered to ask him.”

Three sets of eyes suddenly focused on him and he shifted slightly, uncomfortable under the intense stares. “I’m not entirely against the idea, but I honestly wouldn’t know what I’m doing. I know the basic idea, but that’s it.”

“I found him first, I call dibs.” Announced the dryad who’d been at his head, causing the other two to sulk and slink away.

Suddenly, Joseph found himself doubting his decision as he watched the dryad crawl over to him where she climbed into his lap to straddle him. She didn’t smell bad, earthy mixed with a bit of green. It mostly just reminded him of all the times he’d rolled around in the grass. His thoughts halted when she kissed him and he struggled to return it.

When she pulled away from him, she almost seemed to pout. “You _really_ don’t know what you’re doing.”

He glanced to the side and shrugged slightly. “Well, I told you I didn’t.”

“Sex is sex.” She replied, flippantly as she slipped off of his lap and kneeled down between his legs. There, she took his cock into her mouth and began to lightly suck. Above her, one of her sisters swooped in to kiss him.

Honestly, he didn’t really know what to think and simply tried to return the dryad’s kiss the best he could. Between his legs, the dryad there began to softly hum, the sensation intensifying slightly when he started to stiffen. The one who kissed him pulled away and looked down at her sister, then grinned slightly before pushing her head down, forcing her to take all of his cock. This caused the first to pop her head up and glare.

“Unlike you, _I_ like taking my time.”

He just sat there, baffled on how the dryad between his legs hadn’t choked. Then again, they weren’t human, so perhaps that had something to do with it. Since the two of them seemed to know what they were doing, he chose to just sit there like an idiot.

This caused the dryad next to him to kiss his jaw. “Isn’t he adorable? He’s perfectly clueless.”

The third dryad sat off to the side, blatantly sulking. “Probably hasn’t had his first rut yet.”

“Have too.” He retorted. “I always just spent them by myself.”

Immediately, he had four dryads giving him sympathetic looks. He really didn’t know why. After all, it wasn’t as if he had anyone to spend them with. So, he’d always just handled matters himself. “I already told you four that I don’t know what I’m doing. You don’t have to keep reminding me.”

Rather than replying, the first dryad climbed back into his lap. This time, she smells of something spiced and earth; it made his mouth water. Instead of waiting on her to kiss him, he kissed her first. Then he pulled away to groan when she sunk down onto his cock. Slowly, she rocked against him.

“Like that, hm?” Carefully, she pulled herself up and allowed herself to sink back down. “So. Burning question, dragon. You big like this in your other form.”

Joseph had buried his face into her neck to inhale more of the spiced scent. Quietly, he muttered out, “Got two, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“…Oh, that sounds fun.”

He pulled away from her neck and gave her a quizzical once over. “…I don’t think that would physically work.”

The dryad merely gave a wicked grin before tensing herself around him, prompting a groan. She kept the same slow pace, simply waiting to see what he’d do. By this point, he’d only started to weakly buck his hips into her, as if afraid. Finally, she leaned forward to whisper into his ear. “You’re not going to hurt me. Only certain magics can harm me…So long as my tree is healthy, so am I.”

This made him blink a few times before letting out a lame ’oh’. Then, he held onto her hips before surging forward, prompting her to let out a startled yelp when she landed on her back. It took him a moment to figure out how to position his limbs, before he started working on finding a comfortable pace.

Beneath him, the dryad moaned and arched her back, then wrapped her legs around his waist. Slowly, he sunk down into the mental fog of several years’ worth of pent up sexual frustration. He felt the dryad’s fingers dig into his back and his sunk his teeth into the soft flesh of her shoulder. Rather than making a sound of pain, she only moaned louder.

By this point, his breathing had started to come out as throaty, opened mouthed purrs as he frantically thrusted into her. Finally, he groaned and nearly collapsed when he came. Slowly, he pulled out of her and simply flopped over onto his side before rolling over onto his back. The whole act had left him feeling tired and surprisingly sedate. Sleepily, he stared up at the canopy above him, but blinked a few times when one of the first three dryads suddenly peered down at him.

She gave a wide grin. “My turn.”

“…Do I at least get breakfast and a breather? Because I’m going to need a few minutes.”

She ignored his request and quickly straddled him, only to screech when she was dragged off of him by the elder dryad. Once she managed to get to her feet, she slinked off to sulk with her sisters. The elder dryad offered her hand to him to help him up to his feet.

“Once is good enough. They’ll literally kill you, given the chance. Follow me and I’ll get you some food and tell you what I know.” She gestured in a direction and began leading him deeper into the grove. Around them, faces peered out of trees, only to vanish as quickly as they appeared.

“You’re different than those three.” Joseph commented, quietly.

“Most dryads aren’t like them. My sisters are a unique case.” She pointed towards a tree that had a singular base but split into three trees a few inches above the ground. “They were once one, but when they were young, a woodsman tried to cut down their tree. I killed him, but the damage was done. The tree grew back, but split into three and so did she. I love them dearly, but…”

“So, you act at the protector of this grove?” He didn’t hesitate to dunk himself into the stream when they paused by it in order to clean the grime off of himself.

“Yes. I’m the eldest and so I became both the matriarch and protector when our mother was killed.”

“I’m sorry. Was her tree cut down?” He wrung out his hair and began following her again.

“No. The massive oak tree you slept under was her’s. She loved the explore and left the grove to see the world. As my sister mentioned, only certain magics can harm dryads. Mother was captured and bound into a certain position before she was killed. You see, when dryads are killed but the tree still lives, we harden into wood in whatever position we died in.” Her voice turned bitter. “Mother was killed so she could be some center piece decoration for a rich noble.”

Joseph looked away for a moment. “Humans can be awful sometimes.”

“He wasn’t human, he was a dwarf.” She paused. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what to call you.”

“Joseph.”

“My name is impossible for non-dryads to say, but a suitable name is Shuma.” After a bit, she stopped by a group of blackberry bushes. “It likely won’t fully satisfy your hunger, but it’ll put something in your stomach for the moment. As I was say earlier, Joseph, cruelty isn’t limited by species. Which is the case for your race.”

“What _do_ you know?”

“My knowledge is likely many, many years out of date, but I have no reason to think it’s changed.” She sat down on a rock and quietly sighed. “Magic eating dragons have always been uncommon, as far as dragons go. They simply don’t have large broods like many of the other dragon species. They’re similar to humans in that fashion. Even if a hen stays as a dragon and carries eggs, her brood won’t be like her: they’ll be wild and with none of the abilities of their parents.”

“So, they have to be in their human form?” Joseph slowly ate the ripe blackberries he found.

“Yes, but only one parent needs to be a magic eater. The other parent can be human, which can be a nasty surprise for a human woman when her baby comes out with unusual eyes.” Shuma gestured at Joseph’s eyes. “So, the babies are often abandoned by their human mothers…But that’s not the reason that magic eaters are so rare. Because magic eaters…Well, eat magic, they have a remarkably high resistance to magic, higher than the usual resistance that dragons will have. Rather than it harming them, they simply absorb it. Very unfortunate for any magic users who happen to encounter them.”

“They were hunted, weren’t they?”

She nodded. “Magic eaters are honestly remarkable creatures. The magic they consume fuels an innate healing ability allowing them to shrug off otherwise fatal injuries, leading to the nickname of ‘cat dragons’…The whole ‘nine lives’ idea. This made them ideal for being warriors or mercenaries and in centuries past, they’d be conscripted into armies…Willingly or not.”

“What do you mean?” Joseph had a sinking feeling that he knew what she meant.

“Joseph, they would _break_ them. Break their iron wills till they obeyed without question. Even the hardest rock in the world will crack with enough pressure. The elves were the masters of it. Being a magical race, they saw the dragons as a danger. They broke those they could and killed the others.”

He looked down, recalling what the ghosts had mentioned about Kebrin. It made him wonder if the man had similar plans for him. Joseph looked back to Shuma. “Where did the magic eaters come from? All races have their origin stories.”

“They say dragons came from the matings of the first dragon and his mate, but there’s a few different legends concerning magic eaters. Some claim he could shapeshift and so he adopted a human form and laid with a woman. Some variations state he changed into a woman and carried the first magic eater himself. Others state that the magic eaters were created from his blood and tears after his mate was killed, which is why they’re prone to fits of berserker rage because they share the anger he felt.” She shrugged. “There’s a lot of myth and legend around them, but I think that’s from how rare they are.”

“What do you mean by ‘fits of berserker rage’?”

“Something can prod them into a blood rage, be it an outside source or them doing it to themselves, but it’s a nightmare for anyone who stands in their way. The handful I’ve met who could trip themselves into a rage always needed someone to help pull them out of it. Even then, they stayed wound up like a bowstring for hours.” She snorted loudly. “One woman I met had her lover with her to help pull her out. The poor man didn’t get much rest when she snapped out of it, but I’m not entirely sure he minded.”

He frowned. “I’ve never experienced anything like that.”

“Well, you’re also young.” Shuma gave a bit of a shrug. “From my understanding, it takes time for the abilities to pop up. Either way, that’s all I really know. Did I answer some of your questions?”

“I still have a lot of questions, but you gave me a lot more information that I had. Thank you, Shuma.” He looked over at the blackberry bushes which had done almost nothing for his hunger.

“You should probably leave and go hunting. I’d also recommend avoiding the grove unless you wish to be accosted by my sisters again.”

Joseph couldn’t help but grin slightly. “It wasn’t all _that_ bad. I learned a few things, I think.”

Shuma didn’t seem to be very impressed with his statement. “Perhaps so, but as benign as you visit is, I’d still prefer it if you left. Dryads are magical creatures, and…”

His expression turned somber and he looked over at her. “I’m going to get this sort of reaction from everyone I meet who knows what I am, aren’t I?”

“Only the ones who are magically inclined.”

While it really wasn’t the sort of news he’d hoped for, it was news that he’d come to expect and he finally gave a slight nod. “I figured as much. Still, thank you for your information. It answered a lot of questions I’ve had throughout my life.”

After a moment of siting there by the bushes, Joseph got up to his feet and started making his way out of the grove. As soon as he’d left, he shifted and began searching for a better breakfast than just blackberries.


	9. Freefall into the Sky

Shuma gave Joseph a great deal to think about on his way back to Kovis. While she’d answered a number of questions that’d kicked around in his head for years, she’d also caused many more to pop up. If anything, his main questions had shifted towards his birthparents. At least one of them had been a dragon, which made him wonder about his mother. Had she been human and been caught off guard at her baby’s inhuman eyes? Or had she been a dragon hoping to ensure her child’s survival?

The news of his…Kind being hunted and subsequently driven to near extinction didn’t bode well for him. In fact, it honestly scared him. It also caused him to have the sudden and sad realization that he couldn’t really trust anyone. Sure, it wasn’t anything that he wasn’t used to, but he’d hoped that he’d be able to find people accepting of him. Quietly, Joseph snorted. He supposed that, in a way, he had. Charlie and the others didn’t seem to care, but he wasn’t sure how long that’d last since he half wondered if all the kindness hadn’t been a case of pity.

Then again, Shuma made it sound like what the elves had done, happened a long time ago. Even with Charlie’s age, he had seemed ignorant about the idea of magic eating dragons. Honestly, there was no telling how long ago it’d happened. But the fact remained: there still existed people who knew about magic eaters. Kebin, though his knowledge was sorely lacking, still had a vague idea.

Joseph sunk down into a crouch, then jumped as he flapped his wings a few times. The action lifted him up to the top of the rocky cliff he’d ben climbing. It hadn’t been more than ten or fifteen feet, easily climbable had he followed the path to the top on foot, but he felt a strong sense of pride at being able to sort of fly. He sat down at the edge with a pleased rumble and stared towards Kovis, which remained barely visible in the morning fog.

The knowledge of potentially becoming prey caused him to come to a conclusion: he needed to learn how to fight. Sure, he was dangerous as a dragon and would likely become even more dangerous as he continued to mature, there was no doubting that…But his fighting skills as a human were pitiful. Any past fights had been limited to brawls with other boys his age when he’d been younger. Punches that often went wild and damage that’d been limited to bloody noses or busted lips, nothing that a cold cloth and some numbing herbs couldn’t fix. He didn’t know how to use a sword beyond swinging it around haphazardly, meaning he’d be more likely to injure himself than an enemy.

The early morning sun warmed his back and he half opened his wings to bask in the warmth. He half closed his eyes and made a low purr, deep in his chest of enjoyment. Maybe he could ask Charlie to teach him the basics of sword fighting. The vampire _had_ been a pirate, and Joseph doubted that he’d spent his entire time as a cook…So, surely, he knew how to fight.

He opened his eyes at the sound of crows suddenly calling out. Murders could be a hunter’s worst nightmare, if they didn’t like you. Crows were highly intelligent and might wait till a hunter was about to release the bowstring to call out, thus spooking the prey. Joseph had, in a way, made friends with the crows of his home forest by calling to them when he finished with a kill. By feeding them, he’d gotten into their good graces and they’d often go silent when he hunted.

Something had alerted the crows, and he looked over his shoulder to the forest behind him feeling vaguely worried. Since the wind came from his front, he couldn’t scent anything and had to rely on his eyesight. The first arrow whistled past his shoulder, but the second buried itself in his back causing him to scramble to his feet with a bellow to face his attackers. Then he spotted the hunters, ten of them, moving out of the undergrowth. There were too many for him to comfortably attack, and they’d already moved to cut him off from the path that led down the cliff. Either he faced them, or he jumped.

Joseph turned and leapt off the cliff. He always knew he’d have to learn to fly sooner or later, but he’d hoped it’d be on his terms instead of it being forced on him. The first few seconds of freefall terrified him, the thought of splatting himself against the ground below screamed in his mind. His half-opened wings suddenly caught air and slowed his fall, but the tension combined with the arrow in his back caused his muscles to ache. He fully opened his wings and flapped them, gaining altitude instead of losing it. Almost instinctively, he tucked his arms against his body and his legs against his tail, then powered forward through the fog.

Now that he was actually doing it, flying didn’t seem all that bad. It felt surprisingly natural, just as if he were running full tilt across the plains. Still, he hadn’t built up the needed muscles or endurance for flight and he quickly began to tired. His back ached sharply and his lungs burned as he tried to gulp down the air his body demanded.

This led to the question of: how the _fuck_ was he going to land? After a moment of consideration, he figured it’d be better just to glide to the ground since he honestly had no idea what to do. He managed to get his feet on the ground, but his forward momentum caused him to tumble head over heels and a sharp pain to lance through his back.

He laid there on the ground for a moment to catch his breath before getting back up and reaching for the arrow still lodged in his back. Much to Joseph’s dismay, he discovered the arrow shaft had snapped off…Likely that’d been the pain he felt. Now, he really didn’t know what to do, but knew he wouldn’t be able to get the remains of the arrow out of his back as a dragon. Reluctantly, he shifted back human and gritted his teeth at the pain caused by the arrow. Since he now had a larger range of movement, he tried to pull the arrow out but only succeeded in causing himself more pain.

“Well…Fuck.”

Finally, he wrapped the injury the best he could, dressed, and continued to Kovis. Thankfully, his short flight had landed him relatively close to the city…Unfortunately, it still took him until well after dark to get there thanks to the frequent breaks he had to take due to the injury. While he could apparently heal quickly, it seemed that ability didn’t work too well if something remained in the injury…Such as an arrow head.

The city had shifted to the quiet murmur of nighttime, and the tavern patrons were long since gone when Joseph finally arrived. He was fine with this and quietly made his way upstairs. A sliver of light came from under Xavier’s door and he simply assumed the half-elf had found someone for the night. Once in his own room, he locked the door and made his way into the bathroom to attempt to tend to his injury. Much like before, he didn’t have much luck and concluded he’d need a knife to cut the arrowhead out of his back.

“Normally, I’d enjoy the sight of a shirtless man…But what the hell happened to you?”

Joseph scowled at the bathroom doorway where Xavier stood; the half-elf wore an uncharacteristic look of concern. He looked down as he started rinsing his hands. “An arrow decided to run into me. I need a knife.”

“What, why?” While the injury was concerning, Xavier couldn’t help but stare at the claw mark scars that covered Joseph’s back. Most seemed old, but it caused him to wonder how the younger man had gained them.

“Because the arrow head is still in my back. I healed around the arrow shaft and I can’t get it out.”

Xavier frowned heavily for a moment before turning and abruptly walking out of Joseph’s room. When he returned, he carried a small box, a bottle of whiskey, and several towels. “Lay down on the bed on your stomach.”

This simply caused Joseph to give the other man a wary look. “Why?”

“Because you’re not going to be able to get it out by yourself…At least, not without causing yourself a lot of pain. I can get it out faster.” He replied as he folded the towels and placed most of them on the bed. “Lay down so your side is on the towels. Hopefully it’ll be enough to keep you from bleeding on your bed.”

Joseph eyed him for a bit longer before moving towards the bed. As he passed Xavier, he snatched the bottle of whiskey out of his hand and took a healthy drink of it. After putting the bottle on the nightstand, he laid down as directed. “Hurry up.”

“Are you always this much of a bastard when you’re injured?” Xavier sat down to Joseph’s right on the bed, cross legged, and opened up the box to pull a few things out.

“Well, maybe it’s because I spent most of the _fucking day_ with an arrow in my back. I’m tired. I’m hungry. I hurt. So, yes…I am going to be a bastard about things.” He didn’t bother to suppress the snarl in his voice.

Xavier only gave the other man an unimpressed stare before he began examining the injury. The skin around the broken arrow shaft had turned red with irritation and if he carefully felt around it, he could feel the slight ridge of the arrow head under the skin. “It’s near the surface of the skin, at least. I’m going to have to make two cuts, though.”

“Just fuckin’ do it.”

The first cut caused him to squeeze his eyes shut, and the second to bury his face into his pillow. However, Xavier pulling the arrow out cause a deep snarl to start in his chest where the sound was ultimately muffled by the pillow. When the pain finally faded, he became aware of the sensation of the other man rubbing his back, almost soothingly.

Joseph raised his head and glared at the bloody arrowhead. The barbs on either side of it were very likely the reason it’d hurt so badly. A quiet growl still rumbled in his chest, even as he sat up to drink more of the whiskey.

“Are you going to be alright?”

“Did it heal?” He looked over to Xavier who nodded. “Then, yes.”

After a moment longer, he got up and returned to the bathroom to clean the blood off his back. Faintly, he heard the sound of Xavier leaving and figured he’d be left alone for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, he still needed to get food. Much to his surprise, when he opened the door, he found the half-elf standing at his door, a bowl of food in one hand, and his other raised to knock on the door.

Xavier offered a faint smile. “You mentioned you were hungry…And I’m curious about what you were up to while you were gone.”

“Not entertaining company tonight?” Joseph took the offered bowl of food and lumbered to the small table to eat.

“Not tonight, no. I didn’t see anyone interesting.” Xavier quietly closed the door behind him and carefully stepped over to the table. Senara had warned him about the territorial nature of male ferals, but he didn’t know if Joseph’s mood had to do with that or simply due to him not feeling well.

“Charlie told me about a forest to the northwest, so that’s where I headed. It was about a day’s travel on foot, nothing too bad.”

“As a human, or…?”

“Dragon. Longer stride and besides, I’m more of an endurance runner. So, I was able to keep a pretty steady jog. I got there around dark and after getting dinner, went to find a place to sleep.” Joseph ducked his head and grinned slightly. “Ended up finding the dryad grove that he warned me against.”

“Oh, Gods. Dryads can be so unpredictable. I’ve seen one or two come to the tavern, thought about trying to bed them, but I wasn’t sure if I’d have a good time or end up with a knife between my ribs.”

Joseph simply cleared his throat and shoved a spoonful of food into his mouth.

“…You didn’t.” Xavier went wide eyed at how the other man avoided his gaze. “You did! And here I thought you’d never done anything like that.”

This caused him to choke on his food. “I hadn’t! It was kinda awkward, honestly.” He looked away, feeling a slight blush of embarrassment forming. “I didn’t really know what I was doing. I mean, I enjoyed it and she seemed to.”

Xavier couldn’t help but quietly cackle. When he finished, an unusually serious look formed on his face. “All things considered, it’s not surprising with how you were ostracized that you’d never had sex. Being inexperienced isn’t really something to be embarrassed over, either. Little secret for you, Joseph: everyone’s first time is awkward. No one, except maybe forest nymphs, is good at sex their first time. Skill comes with practice, and lemme tell you. Some people _never_ become good.”

“Well, you try to fuck everything that walks into the tavern, so I’m sure you’d know.”

“Hey. Hey! Only _most_ things.” He grinned widely, showing that he wasn’t offended by the jab. “I still have standards, you know…Albeit very low standards.”

“I did it because the grove matriarch said she had information about what I am.”

Quite quickly, the serious expression returned. “The trade for information…Did you have sex just for that or because you wanted to, as well?”

“No, I wanted it. Xavier, I might be naïve about some things, but I’m not _that_ naïve. I learned a decent amount, so it was worth it.” Joseph frowned, still mentally churning over what he’d learned.

“Ended up with more questions?”

“I did. That’s why I was gone so long. The first day I traveled to the grove, the second day was spent around the grove, then I wandered around so I could think.”

“And then you ran into an arrow.”

“This morning. I was on top of a cliff sunning myself when a group of ten or so hunters decided to attack me. If I want to look on the bright side of things, I discovered that I can fly decently. I just need practice.” He pushed his empty bowl away from him and briefly got up to fetch the bottle of whiskey. “From there, I headed back here.”

“Well…I’m glad you’re back. You’ve only been around for a week but…” Xavier shrugged. “You can be grumpy and moody at times, but I dunno. It just felt weird without you around. At least it gave Senara time to give us all a crash course in ferals. So…What I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry for barging in on you when you first got here. Mostly because I hadn’t expected you to eat so quickly and immediately go for a bath.”

Truth be told, then news of being missed surprised Joseph. “I was honestly thinking that I was being seen as a bit of a pity case.”

“Ok, yeah, I won’t lie. I sort of did at first, but I was also expecting you to take off pretty quickly.” At Joseph’s expression, he quickly clarified. “Not in the sense of you going off to wander for a bit and returning. I meant taking the money, grabbing all your stuff, and completely fucking off. But, instead, you wanted to help out and basically earn your keep. And…Honestly? We’ve been needing the extra help for a while. Charlie was just worried about hiring someone because…Well, vampires aren’t really seen in a nice light. Plus, the old man is a bleeding heart.”

Joseph took a heavy drink of the whiskey and settled back into the chair. He could already feel what he’d drank earlier causing him to relax. It wasn’t a bad feeling, especially after the day he’d had. “It’s nice to find a place where I’m not seen as some sort of freak. I just…Don’t know what to really do. I lost everything and it’s overwhelming trying to figure out what I should do with my life. I figured I’d travel around for a month or two and be back home by late summer. Instead…”

“You’re only…What, eighteen? Psh. You’re still a teenager. You’re not expected to know what to do with your life so quickly. Yeah, some people do, but that’s not the norm. Plus, like you said: you lost everything. Even an adult with their shit together would be lost on what to do. _No one_ can land on their feet from something like that. No one. And honestly, I don’t think anyone is going to be able to tell you how to cope. Everyone handles loss differently. When my mom died? I went on a two-day drinking binge, smoked some really interesting stuff, and had sex with more people than I care to admit to. I didn’t want to feel, I didn’t want to think. I just wanted to lose myself in debauchery.”

“…I was angry. I wanted to kill everyone involved, still do. But that’d be dumb.” He sighed. “I barely know how to fight.”

“Makes sense. You have a bit of a temper.” Xavier grinned. “Gods. When you threw that one guy out of the tavern after he gave you a bloody nose. I was pretty sure you were gonna seriously wreck someone’s shit…Honestly, it was pretty hot. But to be serious, Charlie might be able to teach you some stuff. I know he can use a sword.”

“I was going to ask him. Figured it’d just be a good thing to know in general.” Joseph set the empty bottle on the table and sleepily blinked.

“Probably.” Then, Xavier made a face before briefly burying his face in his hands. “Gods, the old corpse is rubbing off on me. Look at how I’m being a responsible, advice giving adult. I’m supposed to be the immature one.”

“How old are you, anyway?”

“Sixty…Ish. Because I’m half-elf, I don’t age like a human…But I also don’t age like an elf. Sort of in between the two.” He smiled slightly at how Joseph seemed a bit glassy eyed. “I’m surprised your not completely passed out with how much you drank…But I guess the dragon in you, huh?”

“Not passed out, but definitely sleepy.” Joseph looked towards his bed and frowned. While he wanted to sleep, he also didn’t want to seem rude.

“Look, you’ve been traveling all day, right? Why don’t you get some sleep and we can keep talking some other time.”

Slowly, he got to his feet, but made sure to keep his hand hovering above the table in case he needed to balance himself. While Joseph didn’t feel unbalanced, he also knew that alcohol could confound the senses and cause even the smartest men to make utter fools of themselves. “I agree…Xavier? Don’t tell Charlie about me getting hurt, please? He seems like the type who’d worry over me and honestly, I’m fine. It’s not the first time I’ve been hurt and I doubt it’ll be the last.”

Xavier paused halfway to the door and looked over at the other man. “Having someone worry over you isn’t the worst thing in the world. There’s a lot worse things that could happen, but you’re right. Charlie _would_ worry over you…That’s just how he is…And why I’ve stuck around so long. He’s basically the dad I never had. I won’t tell him what happened, but it’d be best if you told him.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Once Xavier left, Joseph all but fell into his bed and made a quiet noise as he felt himself fully relax. While he didn’t mind sleeping out in the wilds, nothing beat a soft bed to sleep in and it didn’t take him long to fall asleep. Unfortunately, morning wasn’t as pleasant. As it turned out, drinking an entire bottle of whisky resulted in an overly full bladder. The walk to the bathroom, while brief, ended up being on the painful side. In hindsight, drinking so much before bed hadn’t been the brightest thing to do.

After he finished relieving himself, he debated the idea of going back to bed, but the faint smell of cooking ham caused his mouth to water. So, after pulling on a fresh pair of clothes, he slinked downstairs where he found Xavier already eating while he talked to Charlie.

Upon seeing Joseph, Charlie immediately grinned. “Joseph! Xavier mentioned that you got back late last night. If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll fix you a plate of food.”

He nodded and took a seat at the bar. “That’d be great. Whatever you made for breakfast smells fantastic.”

“Oh, it’s just something simple. Scrambled eggs, ham, and hash browns. I have some rolls cooling, if you want one of those, too.” At Joseph’s nod, Charlie disappeared into the kitchen to quickly fix a plate of food.

As soon as the plate was in front of him, Joseph dug in and practically inhaled most of it before finally speaking. “So, how’s things been?”

“Not too bad. Quieter now that the ships have left. Well, Kovis always has ships in port, but the current sailors are a great deal better. They don’t hassle Senara _or_ try to cause brawls.” Charlie leaned against the bar. “What about you?”

“Not a whole lot. I enjoyed my romp…Actually sort of flew a bit, so that was interesting.” Joseph grinned. “Landing could use some work, but I didn’t break anything, so I’d consider it a win.”

“Scary?”

“Before I jumped it was. Once I was in the air it wasn’t so bad. I liked it, honestly. There’s just a lot I need to figure out.” He picked at his roll for a moment and looked up to Charlie. “Question for you. Do you know how to fight with a sword?”

“Joseph…I was a pirate. I wouldn’t be a good pirate if I didn’t know how to fight with a sword. Why, are you wanting to learn?”

“I am, actually. I just figure it’d be a good skill to learn.” He pulled a chunk off the roll and popped it in his mouth.

“It really is. Knowing how to fight with a sword is something everyone should know, just like they should know how to cook or perform basic first aid.” Charlie tapped his finger on the bar top as he thought. “Give me a few days to think about how I want to teach you. In the meantime, it’s good to have you back. Once you finish eating, there’s another shipment of wood that needs to be chopped up.”

“I’m glad to be back…I missed my bed.”


	10. Holiday Hunting

The sudden kick to Joseph’s stomach caused him to land on his ass and look up at Charlie, sourly. It was a week and a half after asking the vampire to teach him how to fight…About the only thing he’d learned so far was that he couldn’t fight worth a shit with a sword. With a sigh, he took Charlie’s hand and pulled himself up to his feet. “What did I do wrong _this_ time?”

“You’re still broadcasting what you’re going to do before you strike, which is how I’m able to evade you so well. You’re light on your feet, which is fantastic, but…You’re treating the sword like it’s an axe or hammer.” Charlie frowned at the younger man for a moment. “Sword fighting takes a certain finesse, and I’m not sure you have it…You’re doing better than when you first started, because now I’m confident you wouldn’t hurt yourself in a sword fight, but I’m just not sure a cutlass is right for you.”

This cause Joseph to get an even sourer look before he looked towards the horizon. They still had a bit of time before the sun rose. “So, I just have to try that much harder.”

“No, I mean that you’d probably be better suited for a different weapon…Or at least a sword that requires some strength behind it instead of one that relies on speed. You have a very aggressive fighting style and a cutlass doesn’t seem to work for you.” He sat down on the stump used to chop wood on. “You remind me of a two-year-old colt: fully grown but not filled out. The sort of colt where you don’t want to buy a saddle because it won’t fit him in six months. I think you’ll be a very dangerous man when you’re older, Joseph, based on that alone.”

“As long as I don’t get any taller.” Joseph made a bit of a face as he handed the cutlass to Charlie. “It’s hard enough to find pants that fit, and I’m already tired of people asking if I’m half giant or something.”

Charlie made a thoughtful noise. “Your height has to do with your dragon form, doesn’t it? I think you mentioned how it grew with you.”

“Right. Which makes me wonder if I’ll eventually change shirt sizes as I figure out how to use my wings.”

“Ah, right. Building up muscle for flight. It’s a possibility. Well, just take your time and don’t push yourself. You might heal quickly, but I doubt that having a broken wing would be very fun.” He glanced up at the sky that’d shifted towards the grey of predawn. “Well, I’d best get back inside. Going to try to catch a few more hours of sleep or are you going to stay up?”

“I was thinking about going back to bed after grabbing a few of the dinner rolls from last night…Unless there’s anything you need me to do?” Joseph followed the vampire inside and beelined it to the aforementioned rolls.

“Not that I can think of. There might be a shipment arriving today, but it’ll be sometime after noon when it gets here.”

“Then I’ll go back to bed.” He gave Charlie a brief nod before heading upstairs.

Most mornings after sword practice, his hunger woke him up. This time, it was the sound of someone knocking on his door. Sleepily, Joseph stumbled over to the door and opened it, then blinked at Xavier confusedly. “What is it?”

“Ah, shit. I figured you’d already be up.” Xavier held up a plate of food. “I wanted to continue talking but if you don’t want to…?”

After a moment, Joseph waved him inside and then went to pull his shirt on. “From the other week, I’m guessing?”

“I guess? I just sort of wanted to…Talk. None of us really know much about you and I’m curious as hell about you. Like…Where the fuck did you get all those scars on your back?” Xavier sat down at the table with his own breakfast.

“Mountain cats.” Joseph sat down as well and peered at his breakfast for a moment before he started eating. “When I was younger, a couple of them attacked me while I was eating a kill. I couldn’t heal as quickly back then, so I ended up with a bunch of bad scars.”

“Are they just on your human form or…?”

“Nah. They show up on both. It’s kind of weird, honestly…But I figure that most things with half a brain wouldn’t want to mess with me because of the scars.” He shoved a strip of bacon into his mouth and made a quiet noise of enjoyment.

Xavier nodded slightly and poked at his own food while he tried to think up more questions to ask. Finally, he blurted out what he’d been wanting to ask since he found out about Joseph’s shapeshifting. “Could you show me what you look like as a dragon?”

Looking up, Joseph stared for a moment in surprise. He simply wasn’t used to the idea of people being _curious_ about him. Scared, fearful, and judgmental? Absolutely. “Well, I mean…I don’t mind the idea but…”

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.” Xavier said quickly, unsure if he’d asked a sensitive question.

“No, no. It’s just…I’d have to show you outside of the city. I’m not exactly a small dragon. Plus, I have to do it nude because the change doesn’t play nice with clothes.” He frowned slightly at Xavier since Charlie had mentioned the other man being ‘interested’ in some fashion. “I’m not shy, I just don’t like being stared at…It just feels like a challenge.”

“Well, normally, I _would_ want to stare because…You know…But like I mentioned the other day: Senara gave us all a crash course and that included staring. She doesn’t know how much of what she knows is going be similar since there’s a massive difference between dragons and lycans. I figure some information is better than none.” Xavier stabbed his eggs with his fork. “Charlie is planning on being closed on Saturday due to some religious holiday in the city. He doesn’t think the tavern will get much interest. So, we could go outside the city then. I’m…Just damned curious, alright? I’ve never met a dragon, let alone seen one.”

Joseph pushed his empty plate away. “It’s just weird, that’s all. I’m used to people avoid me or cursing me because I’m different. I mean, I’m not going to complain, but…I don’t know. It’s hard to explain, I guess.”

“No, I think I get you. You’re not used to it. Look, Joseph. Charlie’s basically adopted you, like it or not. We’re kinda this weird, dysfunctional family and you’re part of it.” He laughed. “Me and Senara didn’t have much of a say in it, but Charlie’s never steered us wrong. The guy has a good eye and can really judge a person’s character when he sees them. If he says you’re a decent guy, then I’m not going to say otherwise.”

“How did you and Senara end up here?”

“Senara was a street rat and a thief. It’s why she’s so good with a knife. She tried to steal from Charlie, who caught her mid act. He initially hired her to wash the dishes and after awhile she became the bar maid. I’m the only one who actually got hired because I was looking for a job.” He stacked his plate on top of Joseph’s.

“So, if he owns the place, why do you claim you do when people talk to you?”

“Because it’s technically in my name. He’s been, officially, running it under false names because of city taxes. He looks human and it raises questions…With me obviously not being fully human,” Xavier gestured at his ears, “it makes it easier for my name to be attached to all the legal stuff. I’m the ‘official’ owner, but it’s actually him.”

“Huh. Well, that does make a lot of sense.” Frankly, Joseph hadn’t even considered the idea of immortality causing legal issues. Then again, he’d come to the conclusion that he’d led a very, very sheltered life thus far.

“So…Back to you. You hunt, kill, and eat animals, right?” At the nod, Xavier hesitantly licked his lips. “Have you done that to anyone? I know you killed the people at Murval, and for good reason, but I mean outside that.”

Joseph hesitated, himself, for several long minutes for nodding slightly. “Some young hunter. When you hunt, you want your shot to be a killing shot. Not just to be humane, but for safety reasons. I mean, if you’re hunting a moose or an elk? Sure, it might bolt or it might turn around and try to trample you. The two shots he took at me just…Pissed me off. I was in the middle of eating, too. So, I chased him down, attacked him, and…Well…I wasn’t as hungry when I finished with him.”

“You know. Considering how moody you get about your food? That does not surprise me in the least bit. I’m pretty sure you’d bite someone if they tried to take your food.” The sharp grin the other man gave him only caused him to roll his eyes, but also made him suspect that he was correct. “I mean, as long as you’re not going out of your way to kill people, I don’t think it’s going to be an issue. You _were_ acting out of self-defense…Even if you did eat the guy.”

“It didn’t taste bad…But I don’t know. I’d rather not.” Then he snorted loudly. “I guess since I’m not human it doesn’t count as cannibalism, does it?”

“…That is incredibly dark and I love it. But I think you’d be right.” Xavier suddenly grinned. “Hey, that means that if I need someone to disappear, I can just feed them to you.”

“I’m not your damn garbage disposal.”

“I dunno. You look like you came out of a garbage heap.” He leaned forward to teasingly tug on the sleeve of Joseph’s shirt, earning himself a swat on the hand and an annoyed rumble.

“Because it’s comfortable! Plus, it’s easier to get out of my clothes when I need or want to shift…And honestly? I’m used to the hunting lifestyle. If you’re doing a lot of traveling, you want something comfortable to wear.”

Xavier bowed his head slightly to concede the point. “Understandable. Well, it’s not like you’re manning the bar. You only wander out if someone’s causing trouble.”

“Do the sailors usually cause so much trouble?”

“Usually, yeah. They only make port every few months and after being stuck on the ship for so long? They get kinda feisty.” He waggled his eyebrows, suggestively. “Most are smart enough to mind their manners, but a couple of the assholes won’t…Which is when you get to breeze in and scare the piss outta them.”

“I don’t really mind doing that. Sometimes I kinda hope they try something because I _want_ to fight something, but at the same time I don’t exactly like so many people. It’s almost like they’re trespassing…And…I don’t know. I guess I’ve kind of adopted you guys, too, because I sort of feel like I need to keep you safe? It’s a weird feeling, I guess, and I don’t really know how to explain it.” Joseph frowned. “But I’ve always had a hard time putting it into words, so that’s nothing new.”

“Some of that sounds like the territorial stuff Senara mentioned. I can ask her when she shows up for work, if you want?”

“That’d be great, actually. I’m still trying to figure things out for myself. I keep getting bits of information here and there but it’s just not enough.” He sighed and then finally shrugged. “Well, I should head downstairs to see if Charlie needs any help.”

The next few days passed quickly and Joseph saw his role as bouncer shift more towards ‘heavy lifter’. It left him fairly bored, but he didn’t need to do much with how the current sailors minded. If anything, they were incredibly polite and often left tips. Since Charlie paid everyone a decent wage, the extra money was split between the three of them; the vampire didn’t have an interest in the money, citing he had plenty of his own.

So, when Saturday finally arrived, Joseph felt eager to leave the city. Once more, he found himself with more pent up energy than he knew what to do with. After breakfast, he set out for the lands beyond the city…Only this time, Xavier accompanied him. Honestly, he really didn’t feel confident with the idea and a subtle tension settled into his bones as the half-elf jabbered next to him.

“You talk a lot.” Joseph abruptly noted.

“You talk too little.”

“Well, there isn’t much reason to talk when you’re by yourself, is there?” He glanced to Xavier and raised his eyebrow. “If I’m going to catch an antelope for dinner like Charlie requested, either you’re going to learn to shut up or I’m going to have to dump you somewhere so you don’t spook everything.”

“I can be quiet, I just choose not to.” Xavier gave a cheeky grin.

“I’m pretty sure the only time you’re quiet is when you have a cock in your mouth.” He rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“Maybe, maybe not, maybe you should find out.” He could only laugh when Joseph shoved him. “What, not interested in men?”

Joseph simply shrugged. He hadn’t been exposed to enough people to really make up his mind. Deciding to change the subject, he pointed at the cluster of rocks that he usually changed at. “There.”

“What about it?” Xavier hadn’t missed how Joseph had changed the subject, but chose not to push it…For now.

“That’s where I usually change at.” Once they reached it, he gestured for the other man to turn around while he tugged his clothes off. “Just as a warning: it sounds nasty.”

“Nasty? What do you mean nasty?” He got his answer quickly enough in the form of popping, grinding, and cracking bones. Immediately, he ducked his head down in a cringe at how horrible it sounded. When the sound stopped, he slowly relaxed. “Alright, that _was_ pretty nasty sounding. Can I turn around now?”

Joseph slowly shifted his weight from foot to foot, unsure of how the other man would react. Finally, he gently nudged Xavier’s shoulder with his nose. It didn’t exactly surprise him to be gawked at, nor that Xavier took a few steps back, but he couldn’t tell if he was going to run or not.

“Holy _shit!_! That is so fucking awesome.” Xavier just about tripped over the small rocks in an attempt to get a better look at Joseph. Curiously, he traced his fingers over a green stripe on the dragon’s shoulder but frowned when they brushed over a faded scar. “Lemme see your head?”

He lowered his head and blinked a few times at the other man’s excited expression. However, when a hand reached for his head, he snorted loudly and, gently, shoved Xavier away with his head. The half-elf squawked in surprise as he landed on his ass, then looked up with an offended look. However, the look quickly shifted to something curious and suddenly, Xavier had ducked under him.

“Look at the size of your claws! And that big fucker on your toe! I bet you could gut a moose.” After a moment, Xavier popped up beside Joseph and touched his wing. “They look massive. Can you open them?”

If anything, Joseph felt amused at how delighted the other man seemed to be. Finally, he shifted to his hind legs in order to give himself more distance from the ground and fully opened his wings. He held the position for a short bit before going back to all fours and closing his wings. However, his amusement didn’t last long when Xavier suddenly vaulted onto his back. He froze for a moment before rearing up slightly and going down to his elbows. The half-elf squawked again when he was suddenly unseated and landed on the ground.

“I probably should have asked first.” After sitting up, Xavier sat there for a moment and rubbed his back, trying not to look at Joseph who had an intense glare. “Y’know. You’re more…Animalistic, I guess, like this…But I can still tell that it’s you. It’s kinda weird. I probably _should_ sit on your back, though. I’m not going to be able to walk and keep up with you. Wait, can you talk like this? I can’t remember if you mentioned it or not.”

As much as he hated the idea, Xavier had a point. Quietly, Joseph rumbled his displeasure at the idea and finally gestured at his back. Then, he gestured at his mouth and shook it head to indicate his inability to speak.

“I guess it sort of makes sense you wouldn’t be able to talk.” He eyed Joseph’s back again, but this time grabbed the other man’s things before he vaulted back onto his back. It took a moment for him to get settled, but finally patted the massive neck in front of him. “I’m ready. Just…Don’t knock me off. I really, really, don’t want to crack my head open.”

For the moment, Joseph chose to simply walk. It gave him a chance to get used to the feeling of someone on his back. While the extra weight didn’t bother him, it just felt _weird_. Finally, he shifted into a lazy jog. He hadn’t scented anything interesting yet and wasn’t sure if he’d find anything huntable. Unfortunately, he didn’t know the habits of the local wildlife and couldn’t make any sort of guess on where they might be grazing. Even if he didn’t catch anything, he felt that he needed the romp.

Surprisingly, Xavier had gone quiet and it prompted him to glance over his shoulder at the half-elf. No, he hadn’t fallen off, but he did have a dumb grin on his face. Joseph snorted loudly and shifted his attention back to the rocky terrain in front of him. However, he spotted something in the distance and slowed to a walk while he tried to figure out what he saw.

He carefully crouched down and slinked forward, not wanting to spook the antelope if that’s what he’d spotted. When the wind shifted, he scented the antelope. Quickly, he froze and looked around for a spot to dump Xavier off. While the half-elf seemed to do well at a trot, he doubted he’d remain seated at a full-blown run.

Finding a suitable rock, he gently nudged at Xavier to get him to hop off. Once he had, Joseph made a soft snort and nudged the other again, this time against the rock. Hopefully, he’d get the idea because he didn’t know if he’d come across another herd of antelope, the damned things were so flighty.

Despite getting the idea that he was supposed to stay put, Xavier crept around the rock to watch Joseph hunt. As the dragon crouch-slinked forward, parts of him seemed to ripple away…As if he was trying to become invisible but not quite making it. Enough of him remained that he was able to watch the hunt.

Where Joseph was naïve about city life, Xavier was naïve about the harsh realities of nature. He initially felt excited at watching the chase, but the high-pitched scream the antelope made caused his stomach to churn and he had to look away.

It caused him to feel conflicted towards Joseph. While the other man had an air of innocence and naïvety, it really just masked what he really was. Truthfully, Xavier didn’t know how he’d ever seen him as human. All the little noises he made that Xavier had seen as adorable quirks were really the quiet rumbles of a very dangerous predator.

Heavy footfalls snapped him out of his thoughts and for a brief instant, his stomach clenched in fear at the idea of being hunted by the approaching dragon. Then suddenly, Joseph was staring at him, his muddy green head flecked with dried blood. However, the birdlike head tilt of curiosity and soft, musical chirp caused some of Xavier’s fear to melt. “I…Sorry. Guess I’m kind of squeamish.”

Joseph stretched before simply laying down with a heavy thump. He really didn’t know what Xavier had expected when he insisted on going with him on a hunt. After a moment he tilted his head to pick at a spot between his teeth with a claw.

“How many damn teeth do you have?” Xavier immediately regretted asking when the dragon suddenly swung his open mouth in front of him so that he could get a _very_ good look. He quickly pressed his back against the rock with a somewhat scared noise at the seemingly endless maw of extremely large ad sharp teeth. Despite his brief moment of fear, the look Joseph gave him caused him to feel like a massive asshole. He had no idea how the other could be so expressive, but he knew he’d hurt some feelings…Especially when he got up. “Wait, Joseph. I’m sorry.”

Feeling frustrated, Joseph looked back to Xavier who’d gotten up to his feet to follow after him. He paused and stared down at the half-elf who seemed to be tiptoeing a bit…And smelled like fear. It left him a bit frustrated since he hadn’t tried to be scary.

“I’m just…You’re deceiving, in a way, as a human. You hide what you are so well and even though I _knew_ what you were I just sort of downplayed it. I was just caught off guard, I think. I can see why you scare people when you’re dealing with them during the dinner rush. It’s also just hard to not be afraid, on a primal level, of someone who can just eat me in a few bites.” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down. “I think it’s something I’ll have to get used to…Plus I’m sort of thinking over what Senara told me.”

Finally, Joseph laid back down and looked at Xavier expectantly. The other hadn’t told him what Senara had said and he simply assumed that she didn’t know, or he had forgotten to ask. It made him feel slightly concerned that it had taken so long for it to be brought up again.

“Like I keep saying, all her knowledge is about lycans so I don’t know how much of it applies to you. But she said most of it sounds like you’re simply being territorial. Around your age, male lycans will set out on their own to find their own territory. Sometimes they’re adopted by another pack. She doesn’t know if dragons do anything similar, but she said if you were a lycan, you’ve basically found your own territory and have more or less adopted us as your pack…Which is something you already admitted. The bit about wanting to keep us safe sort of concerned her. She made noises about how that’s something alpha, the leader, lycan will do in a pack situation. Which is supposed to take a certain personality that you don’t seem to have, buuuuut…You’re also young and went through a lot of trauma recently.”

Joseph snorted loudly. That seemed to be a trend: him ‘still being young’. Either way, it didn’t really give him much usable information. So, he figured that Senara might be wrong in this case. He finally just shrugged and laid his head down with a quiet rumble. After a moment, he felt Xavier sitting down next to him and leaning back against his shoulder. The half-elf seemed less concerned than he had earlier, so perhaps he’d gotten over his initial shock of things. Regardless, Joseph chose to take his usual post hunting nap.

A sharp jab to his neck caused him to make an irritated rumble and then turn his head to look at Xavier. However, his irritation vanished at the scared look the other had. Looking around, he spotted the pack of rock wolves who’d decided to investigate them. He considered the animals unusually brave as he pushed himself to his feet, a low growl rumbling in his chest. Carefully, he stepped over Xavier so that he stood over him, then glared down at the wolves in front of him.

One of the wolves let out a snarling bark and while likely terrifying to a human, Joseph only felt unimpressed. Rather than snarling or growling back, he roared. The sound was deep, menacing, and would cause even the most fearless, battled hardened adventurer to turn tail…Which was exactly what the wolves did. Lifting his left arm and wing, he tucked his head under his side to made a soft noise as he checked on Xavier.

He felt shaky over the whole thing, but lightly patted the side of Joseph’s muzzle. “I’m ok. It’s getting kind of late, how about we try to find a second antelope for Charlie? Assuming you didn’t scare everything within ten miles with that roar of yours.”

Once Xavier had perched on his back again, Joseph started off. Truthfully, he hadn’t expected his roar to be so _loud_ , but it’d gotten the job done, hadn’t it? Still, Xavier’d been right: it’d be amazing if he hadn’t spooked off all the antelope. Still, he kept a steady pace and frequently scented the air in hopes of catching a whiff of antelope.

It was close to dark when he finally found a herd, and he crouched down to nudge Xavier off his back. Then, he gestured for the other to turn around so he could shift back human. Quickly, he pulled on his pants and boots. “Give me my knife, bow, and an arrow.”

Xavier turned back around and frowned, but did as requested. “Only one?”

“I won’t get a second shot.” He notched the arrow as he started crouch-walking towards the antelope herd. Slowly, but surely, he crept closer. Had he been a dragon, he would have gone for the fat buck on the other side of the herd. He’d have to settle for the somewhat younger buck that was closer to him. Joseph pulled back the bowstring and held it for a moment before he let out a sharp whistle.

The antelope raised their heads and many of them turned slightly, including his target. He let go of the string and faintly heard the _thump_ of it impacting. Getting up, he followed the antelope to where it’d fallen. There, he slit its throat before yelling for Xavier. By the time the half-elf arrived, Joseph had already begun the work of field dressing. “Nice buck, should make some good meals.”

“Gods, that’s disgusting.”

“At least I’m not eating while I work.” This only prompted a further noise of disgust from Xavier, which Joseph laughed at. Once he finished, he hoisted the buck onto his shoulders. “Alright. Let’s go.”

“I’ll be shocked if the guards don’t stop you.”

“Do you _really_ think they’re going to want to mess with a tall fucker, who’s carrying a dead antelope, and is covered in blood like me?”

“…Point.”

 When they arrived at the tavern, Charlie went a bit wide eyed. “I was mostly joking about the antelope. I didn’t think you’d actually get one. Here, in the kitchen.”

“I already gutted it and everything for you.” He carefully put the buck on the table. “I killed it with my bow, so you don’t have to worry about dragon drool.”

Charlie laughed at that. “Well, go get yourself cleaned up. I’ll have dinner almost done when you finish. Then you can tell me about your little adventure because Xavier looks traumatized.”

Joseph could only grin at the half elf yelling from the front part of he tavern, “HE WAS ELBOW DEEP IN THE FUCKING THING’S GUTS!”

“I’m going to have to hear this story.” Much like the younger man, Charlie couldn’t help but grin.


End file.
